The Kansas City Chiefs predictably were one of the clear winners of this year's schedule release, getting six prime-time games throughout the 2026 season. This wasn't the case for the hated Las Vegas Raiders, whose ineptitude was fittingly rewarded by the league offering zero prime-time options. This doesn't come as a huge surprise when you consider the fact that Las Vegas has won a combined 11 games over the past two seasons, and only three wins in 2025.
Kansas City fans can't help but appreciate the league pointing to the fact that the Raiders are irrelevant when it comes to the rest of the league. Even after holding the first overall pick and drafting quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the league doesn't expect Las Vegas to be an important part of the AFC West.
While the Chiefs can have fun with this fact, there is no denying that an uphill battle remains for the franchise. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers both swept the Chiefs a season ago after years of being dominated by Patrick Mahomes. Having one rival that KC can count out in the Raiders makes the road a bit easier as the team attempts to re-establish dominance in the rest of the league.
For the Raiders, it is a wake-up call that there is a long road ahead to catch up to the division's contenders. Something that appears incredibly unlikely to happen anytime soon, as the Chiefs appear ready to return to their previous dominance.
Chiefs fans can't help but enjoy Las Vegas being left out of NFL's primetime schedule
In truth, it is a little surprising that the Raiders weren't included in the league's primetime slate early in the season. Featuring Mendoza while Las Vegas still has a chance at relevance would make a level of sense as the league's first overall pick. It has to sting that this isn't the case and tells the rest of the league exactly what the expectations are for the Raiders.
Opting not to feature the league's top draft pick at all is shocking, even if the franchise is expected to remain in the basement behind Kansas City. Mendoza clearly has the talent to be a franchise quarterback, but was dealt the unfortunate hand of playing in the same division as Mahomes. There simply is an incredibly limited ceiling when this is the case.
Still, the Chiefs can really appreciate the fact that the league is showing the veteran team the appropriate respect and keeping the AFC West's focus on the team expected to return to past form.
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