The Raiders Aim to End a Significant Drought This Season

Aaron Schatz of ESPN does not like the Raiders' chances of going from worst in the division to first in the division. Dethroning the Chiefs who have won the division nine consecutive seasons will be hard enough, but the Raiders also have two other formidable teams to compete against for a playoff spot.

"Look, the [Buffalo] Bills and [Baltimore] Ravens have had a horrible time trying to get past Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs over the past couple of seasons. You expect the Raiders to get past him in the regular season? The idea of the Raiders finishing first seems even less likely when we consider the [Denver] Broncos and [Los Angeles] Chargers were both playoff teams a year ago," Schatz said.

"Los Angeles or Denver have a much better chance of leading the NFC West if Kansas City fell off due to injury or other reasons."

While dethroning the Chiefs may be a long shot for the Raiders, it is not impossible to think the Raiders could be a surprise team in the AFC West this season. Las Vegas has an improved team on both sides of the ball and have played the Chiefs well over the past two seasons.

The Raiders are still the last team to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. They did so without completing a pass after the first quarter. The addition of Geno Smith, several skill position players and an improved coaching staff give the Raiders a better shot to win more games this upcoming season.

"However, the idea of Las Vegas as a playoff contender is not necessarily ridiculous, particularly thanks to the addition of veteran QB Geno Smith. Although Las Vegas ranks at sixth here in overall division odds, it is fourth in playoff odds out of all eight teams," Schatz said.

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