The Las Vegas Raiders have endured a similar plight to the the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers in recent seasons. The Kansas City Chiefs are just seemingly too good, and none of these teams have been able to gain traction in the division or conference in the last decade.
While the Silver and Black have certainly earned their low place in the NFL pecking order, neither the Broncos or Chargers seem to get dragged as much as the Raiders do. Every offseason, fans and analysts believe in every AFC West team other than the one in Las Vegas.
Last season, these pundits were certainly correct, but this was more the exception than the rule. Denver's sweep of the Raiders in 2024 marked their first wins against the team since they moved to Las Vegas, and they were still unable to compete in a postseason that they needed a bit of luck to squeak into anyway.
ESPN continues to fall for the Broncos offseason hype
On Tuesday, ESPN's Ben Solak provided 100 thoughts and predictions for the 2025 NFL season. Of course, he is all-in on the Broncos as a darkhorse Super Bowl candidate despite a series of questionable offseason moves.
"There are two teams that could reasonably project as having the best offensive line and the best defense for the 2025 season: Minnesota and Denver," Solak wrote. "As such, Minnesota and Denver register as 'Super Bowl dark horses' on my 'What sort of contender are you?' scale before I even know anything about their respective young quarterbacks."
The assertion that the Broncos may compete for a Super Bowl this season is a tremendous reach. This is the same team who fell 31-7 in the first round of the playoffs last season and failed to address the wide receiver or running back position in any major way.
RELATED: ESPN proves its anti-Raiders bias with latest Chargers prediction
Denver's defense should be near the top of the league once again in 2025, but Bo Nix is not a good enough quarterback yet to lead an offense headlined by Courtland Sutton and an injury-prone Evan Engram. Rookie running back RJ Harvey needs to be a Pro Bowl-level player in Year 1 if the team wants a chance of reviving their rushing attack.
Not to mention, the Broncos narrowly made the playoffs in 2024, and they do not have as easy of a schedule like they did a year ago. The Raiders are dramatically improved, which takes away what were essentially two guaranteed wins.
Las Vegas is not likely to compete for a Super Bowl this year either, but the assertion that the Broncos are so much further ahead than them seems like a stretch. The Raiders will have their first opportunity to prove to the Broncos that they are not the same old team in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football in Denver.