NFL VP of Broadcasting: Raiders must 'play their way into primetime'

A lot of people were stunned when the NFL schedule came out Thursday night and the Raiders had no primetime games. After all, it was just the third time in franchise history they were without a primetime game, and the first time in over 15 years that has happened.

Some thought maybe the NFL might see the Raiders young stars including number one overall pick Fernando Mendoza and find a place to put them in front of a national TV audience. The NFL doesn't see it that way. As NFL VP of Broadcasting Mike North explained in an interview on ESPN Friday.

"You play your way into prime-time," said North. "You don't draft your way into primetime, you don't fire your coach into prime time. You play your way into primetime. Look, if the Raiders have a better than we thought, unexpected season, that's what flexible scheduling is for down the stretch. Those last five-six weeks of the season...if they're relevant, we'll find a way to get their games on national television down the stretch."

In the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas; So you're telling me there's a chance?

To Mike North's point, the Raiders are far from the only team to not have a primetime game this season. The Dolphins, Cardinals, Jets, and Titans also have none. These teams all have something in common -- there were all terrible last season and are pretty widely expected to be bad again this season. And they will all get the same consideration as the Raiders should they manage to prove everyone wrong and find themselves in the playoff hunt in December.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders must 'play their way into primetime' per NFL VP of Broadcasting