Harry Redknapp admits QPR may have to more than double their win tally for the entire season in the final eight games if they are to stay up.
QPR's defeat to Aston Villa was a benefit to Sunderland, but Wigan are now the club to watch.
Rangers' hopes of staying in the Premier League suffered a huge setback when they were beaten 3-2 at fellow strugglers Aston Villa on Saturday, with Christian Benteke scoring a late decider.
They are now seven points adrift of safety, despite their recent revival and spending spree during the January transfer window.
Harry Redknapp: "The result at Villa will have a big bearing on the rest of the season and it's opened up a gap with Southampton winning as well.
"It's going to be tough but we are still in there and are playing so well at the moment.
"I thought we were excellent against Villa and, before that, in the wins against Southampton and Sunderland.
"We probably need to win five out of the last eight games. It's hard to do when you haven't won that many all year. But it's not impossible.
"We should have been three or four goals up at half-time. We were so much the better team, it was almost embarrassing in the first half.
"But they scored in injury-time, hit us on the break, and I bet they came in at half-time not believing their luck because they should have been out of the game.
"They rode their luck and got away with it when they should have been dead and buried by half-time."