Will the Raiders Get Over the Hump?

"Twenty-six years ago, the "Greatest Show on Turf" took the NFL by storm. During the preseason, the [St. Louis] Rams were a 150-to-1 long shot to win it all, but despite those odds, they were able to shock the NFL and win it all. Of course, that team was littered with future Hall of Famers like Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, and Isaac Bruce, which is something the Raiders don't seem to exactly have," Breech said.

"It also doesn't help that the Raiders play in the toughest division in football. The Raiders play in an AFC West where every team made the playoffs last year except for them. That's a lot to overcome for a team that tied for the fourth-worst record in the NFL last year.

Earlier this offseason, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly explained how the competition within the division played a factor in his decision to join the Raiders. Although it will be challenging for the Raiders to win the division, Kelly is up for the challenge.

"Yeah, the [Kansas City] Chiefs and what Jim [Harbaugh] is doing with the [Los Angeles] Chargers, and obviously Sean Payton is a Super Bowl champ himself over in Denver. And I heard that from some people, do you really want to go in that division? But I think if you're a competitor, you do. And if you have a chance to win that division, then that means you beat the best, and the best that's playing in football right now is the Chiefs. They are the reigning Super Bowl champs and they're back in the game again," Kelly said.

"So, if that's your goal and you want to get there, you're going to have to beat them. So, that's what our focus is on, is to win this division. That means you're in the playoffs and you get a chance to compete for the whole thing. So, there's really good coaches in this division, but just like there is across the NFL. You don't get to be a coach in the National Football League if you don't know what you're doing. So, all of the competition every single week in this league is hard, but to be in this division, I think you're going against the best, and that's what you want to do if you're a competitor."

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