Raiders Aim to Push the Chiefs in AFC West

"The [Kansas City] Chiefs have won their division a staggering nine seasons in a row, and last year they won it by four games. So why are they not the least vulnerable? Well, bluntly, the other teams in the AFC West appear to be more of a challenge than the other teams in the AFC East. The [Los Angeles] Chargers and [Denver] Broncos both made the playoffs last season as wild cards, Los Angeles after a significant first-year turnaround under coach Jim Harbaugh, and Denver with a successful rookie season from quarterback Bo Nix," Battista said.

"The Raiders, now with Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith, should also be vastly improved. I can’t pick against a team that features Andy Reid, Steve Spagnuolo, and Patrick Mahomes, though. Maybe the Chiefs will wind up with a few more losses than they had last season (two) because the division games should be much tougher. But four games is still a wide margin, and as long as Mahomes is upright, the Chiefs will cast a long shadow."

The Raiders undoubtedly have a long way to go to dethrone the Chiefs. However, the Raiders are still the last team to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders have lost against the Chiefs much more than they have won, but few teams in the league have played the Chiefs tougher.

No matter how good the Chiefs are, or how bad the Raiders may be, the Raiders have usually given the Chiefs a run for their money one of the two games each season over recent years. Still, with a new regime in, the Raiders want more than moral victories against the kings of the AFC West.

It may take another offseason or two to make it happen, but the Raiders are on track to one day shed the title of little brother in regards to the Chiefs.

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