The Kansas City Chiefs have reigned supreme in the AFC West over the last decade. While this dynasty has felt insurmountable at times, perhaps more painful is that the Raiders have been unable to consistently pave their way as the second-best team in the division.
When both the Broncos and Chargers were down on their luck, Las Vegas was unable to capitalize and consistently sneak into the postseason as a Wild Card. Fortunately, the Chiefs finally looked human in their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.
Philadelphia was able to get constant pressure on Patrick Mahomes, which completely disrupted their offense. Now, it feels like there is a clear blueprint to dethroning Kansas City, and the Raiders might have the personnel to do it.
The Raiders need to capitalize on the Chiefs' offensive tackle issue
ESPN's Ben Solak acknowledged that the Chiefs had a major question mark at left tackle last season, and that they did not necessarily address the position sufficiently in the offseason.
"Kansas City would do anything for an average left tackle, however, given the way the position has limited the offense in the past couple of seasons," Solak wrote. "The Chiefs took two high-reward swings with the signing of Jaylon Moore and drafting of Josh Simmons, but both are also high-risk. Moore wasn't a starter in San Francisco, and Simmons is coming off a major knee injury at Ohio State."
Las Vegas, when healthy, has one of the best defensive line units in the league. This especially pertains to their pass-rushing ability, as a front of Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Christian Wilkins and Adam Butler can cause severe problems for even the best offensive lines and quarterbacks in the NFL.
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With two questionable options at left tackle, the Raiders should be able to exploit the Chiefs and limit their offensive production. Mahomes almost always finds a way to get it done against the Silver and Black, but in the rare occasions that the team has taken him down, it has been solely because the defensive line pressure has rattled him.
Travis Kelce is on the decline, and Kansas City's wide receiver corps is battling numerous issues, like injuries, off-the-field concerns and inexperience. If there was ever a year for the Chiefs to fall from the mountaintop, it is 2025.
Granted, every year feels like the season where Kansas City will come crashing down and the Raiders will rise from the rubble. The Chiefs are still the undisputed champions until proven otherwise, but Las Vegas should be licking their chops and gaining confidence if the tackle situation is as bad as it seems in Kansas City.