Raiders news: Navigating the AFC West will be even tougher in 2023

Raiders to battle tough AFC West competition again in 2023

Last season, division rival Kansas City won the Lombardi Trophy, as they continue to be the class of the AFC with Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback. Kansas City ran away from the Raiders and the rest of the AFC West during the regular season, and they have reloaded this offseason, going into the 2023 summer as a favorite to make another Super Bowl run this year.

Outside of Kansas City, the division is stacked as well, as the Los Angeles Chargers were a playoff team a year ago, and boast one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Justin Herbert. The Chargers did suffer an embarassing loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the playoffs, and have yet to win a playoff game with Herbert under center, but they should be a double-digit win team in the regular season in 2023.

Then there is Denver, who struggled with Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach last year, and the offense looked terrible, even after trading for Russell Wilson. With Hackett gone, and Sean Payton at the helm of the franchise, Wilson should revert back to his Pro Bowl form, and the Broncos are a team that could make a run to the playoffs as well.

Overall, based on talent, the Raiders may be the worst team on paper in the division, but games are not won on paper, and they will get a chance to prove the experts wrong in a Week 1 matchup against Denver.