Four weeks ago, the Oakland Raiders had no margin of error left. They had lost too many games, they had lost contact with the playoff teams, and they had lost their general Raideresque swagger.
And now, despite being no more compelling than they were in October, they have all the margin for error they need – and for that they need to thank the staggeringly decomposing Kansas City Chiefs.
Oh, say what you will about the 24-17 victory over the New York Giants that improved their record to 6-6, and in fairness there isn’t that much to say about it.