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Scott Polacek is the featured Columnist for January 3, 2022.
AP Photo/Ashley Landis
The Los Angeles and Las Vegas Raiders are playing each other.
The schedule for Week 18 of the National Football League was released and the game between the Broncos and Raiders was moved to Sunday Night Football.
Albert Breer is a friend of mine.
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The Week 18 schedule includes the Broncos vs. the Chiefs. Cowboys vs Eagles, Saturday, 8:15 p.m. The time is later.
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The Raiders will play the Bolts on Sunday, 8:20 p.m. The time is later.
Here is a full look at the Week 18 schedule.
The winner of the Los Angeles and Las Vegas games will get a wild-card spot.
Thanks to impressive seasons from the Tennessee, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and New England teams, five of the seven playoff spots are wrapped up.
The Indianapolis Colts, Raiders, Raiders, and Pittsburgh Steelers are competing for the final two spots. If Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland on Monday, it will be eliminated from the playoffs.
It would take a lot for the team to make it. If the Colts lose to Jacksonville, they will be 9-7-1 and need to win out to make the playoffs. It's not going to happen since the Colts already beat Jacksonville and the Jags lost to the Pats.
If the Colts defeat the Jags, that leaves the final wild-card spot for the winner of the game between the Raiders and the Bolts.
Los Angeles defeated its rival by 14 points in Week 4 with Austin Ekeler and Justin Herbert each throwing three touchdown passes.
The game was a home one for the Bolts. The Raiders' crowd will be fired up from the opening kick off as it looks to make life difficult for Herbert and Co. Since 2002, the Raiders have only been to the playoffs once, so this is a great opportunity for them.
Keeping pace with an offense featuring Herbert, Ekeler, Keenan Allen and others will be no easy task for Las Vegas, but a playoff spot will be waiting if it does.
