While the Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West the last 10 years, the three other teams are catching up to the Chiefs.
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Last season, the Chiefs, as well as the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) and the Denver Broncos (10-7), each won 10+ games, with the three teams even making the AFC playoffs. The Raiders, however, finished last season with a 4-13 record and have been at the bottom of the division for some time.
Talking about the AFC West and the Raiders on his show, Rich Eisen previewed the Raiders’ first half of their schedule and spoke about the high-profile games and challenges they face. Some notable games include Weeks 2 & 3 against two playoff teams from a season ago in the Chargers and the Washington Commanders.
In Week 4, they’ll face the Bears, who were in love with the running back that they took in the draft, Ashton Jeanty, and before their Week 8 bye, the Raiders will face the Chiefs on the road.
Despite a bumpy start to the season, Eisen is pulling for the Raiders. After dissecting their full schedule, Eisen concluded by saying that the Raiders being good is good business for the NFL as a whole.
“The Raiders being good is good for the National Football League,” Eisen exclaimed. “You ought to win as a pirate, let’s go. I’m really fired up. The AFC West is going to be lit, and the Raiders being good is good for business, just good for business.”
Even Tom Brady, who is now the minority owner of the Raiders, is allowed to commentate on Raiders’ games, which could draw even more attention to their games.
It will be year one of a new regime in Las Vegas. They have a new coach in veteran Pete Caroll, who is a proven winner at the college and NFL level as a coach. They also acquired their new franchise quarterback this off-season, Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks, and reuniting him with Caroll.
They also drafted Ashton Jeanty with their first-round pick, who had one of the best seasons ever by a running back in college football history. He’s expected to help their run game, which was the worst in the NFL last year. The Raiders also locked up defensive end Maxx Crosby to a long-term deal, keeping their defensive leader on the team for a while.
It will be tough to dethrone the Chiefs this season and to jump ahead of both the Broncos and Chargers. However, anything can happen in the NFL. The Raiders could be a wildcard team if they have a great season, could improve their record by a few games from last year, or could still be one of the bottom teams in the NFL.
