KC Chiefs: Are the Oakland Raiders the New Team to Beat

The KC Chiefs have been in the shadows of the Denver Broncos over the past five seasons, and now it appears they could be in another AFC West team’s shadow heading into 2016. Could that team be the Raiders?

The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t won the AFC West since the 2010 season. To put that into perspective, Todd Haley was the head coach, Matt Cassel was the quarterback, and the Royals were in year 25 of not making it to the playoffs.

So, yeah, it’s been awhile since the Chiefs stood atop the division. While Chiefs fans want to be optimistic and think that they’re the favorites in the division this year, Adam Schein of NFL.com believes that the AFC West belongs to the Oakland Raiders in 2016.

Here was Shein’s logic,

"Yes, the Raiders are legit. And it’s fantastic for Raider Nation and the NFL.No team in the NFL has enjoyed a better offseason. Oakland brilliantly inked versatile offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele — and had the savvy to re-sign veteran OT Donald Penn to protect Derek Carr‘s blind side."

The Raiders have been getting a lot of love this offseason, and a large part of that is due to the impressive offseason that the team had. As Shein mentioned, they signed some big names (including former Chief Sean Smith).

While the Raiders certainly have an improved roster, this is a team that hasn’t made it to the playoffs since the 2002 season. They’re not familiar being in that territory, and they’ll have to post a winning record (which they also haven’t had since the 2002 season) in order to contend for the playoffs.

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Matt Verderame of Arrowhead Addict had a good point in all of this, in saying that the Raiders might look good on paper, but that the depth isn’t there like it is for the Chiefs and for the Broncos.

Another good point to look at is the schedule that the Raiders played last season in comparison to this year. The Raiders didn’t face a whole lot of tough defenses last season, which helped them earn a 7-9 record and third place in the AFC West.

This season, however, Oakland will be paired up against the Panthers, Bills, Texans, and not to mention the Chiefs and Broncos twice. Having to face strong defenses could be the downfall for the Raiders, and hopefully it opens the door for the Chiefs to run away with the division.

Next: Ten Best Seasons in Chiefs History

So, yes, while the Oakland Raiders have improved this offseason, I’m still not predicting them to win the division. The AFC West still belongs to the Broncos, but the Chiefs have the best shot at dethroning them, and hopefully, they do just that in 2016.

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