Chiefs' Division Rival Suffers Significant Blow

The Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC West the past nine consecutive seasons. As they try to win their 10th consecutive division title, the Chiefs will take any and every advantage they can get. This is especially the case as the AFC West was arguably the toughest division in the league last season.

Although the Chiefs have dominated the division, the AFC West produced three playoff teams last season, proving the Chiefs' continued domination over the division is no fluke, as they won the division again last season, even with most of their AFC foes improving.

Still, the Chiefs are the Chiefs, which means there will still be a target on their backs this season, especially from the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs are likely to win the division again this season, but it is far from guaranteed.

The Raiders were the worst team in the AFC West last season by a wide margin, finishing 4-13 last season, while enduring a 10-game losing streak. They were the only team in the division not to make the playoffs this past season, but they have undoubtedly improved under new leadership.

The Raiders signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a contract worth over $100 million last offseason. Wilkins entered last season widely regarded as one of the best defensive tackles in the National Football League, only to suffer a foot injury early in the season, playing only five games.

With the Raiders making several changes this offseason, Wilkins' return was highly anticipated by the Raiders, but he did not participate in Organized Team Activities. Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll opened up on Wilkins' delayed recovery and return to the field.

"Yeah, this has been a difficult recovery, and he's done everything he needs to do. He's been here every day. He's here early, working hard, but we're still working it, and he's not ready to get back out. And we're in the midst of a long, challenging process here. So, fortunately, there's a lot of time, and we're going to take every bit of it. We've really tried to be really diligent about the way we've worked it and the way we've monitored it and all of that, and he's really been on board the whole time. But it has been challenging," Carroll said.

While no one roots for injuries, this is undoubtedly a major blow to the Raiders and helps the Chiefs out directly and indirectly.

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