The Las Vegas Raiders know first-hand how difficult it is to win the AFC West without a strong quarterback. The franchise is in the midst of a 22-year drought without winning the division, as they have not done so since Rich Gannon's MVP campaign in 2002.
Since that fateful season, the Silver and Black have been bottom-feeders in the AFC. This is in large part due to their lack of a franchise player under center, as even longtime starter Derek Carr was not enough to get this once-great franchise over the hump.
However, the tides turned this offseason when new general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll made the plunge for Geno Smith. Finally, the team has a starting quarterback who is not only widely respected in the NFL but can legitimately compete in the AFC West.
Raiders' Geno Smith signing puts Broncos' Bo Nix in basement of AFC West QBs
PFF recently released their rankings of the top quarterbacks in the league, and Smith ranked No. 10. While this is an elite ranking, he is still third among AFC West quarterbacks, as the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes ranked No. 1 and the Chargers' Justin Herbert came in at No. 8.
As for Broncos second-year signal-caller Bo Nix, one would have to scroll way down the page to find him. He is ranked No. 19, which is firmly in the bottom half of the league and last in the division by a good margin.
PFF has him under a category titled, "Young players with a wide range of potential outcomes." This is a colloquial way for PFF to say that they were not moved by his rookie performance.
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Raider Nation should finally feel vindicated that they are not the only ones failing to buy the Bo Nix hype. While he looked better than expected during his first professional campaign, life could not have been made any easier for him last year.
The Broncos' defense played at a turnover margin in 2024 that cannot be replicable in 2025. They also gave the young quarterback great field position on several drives in almost every game. His statistics are a bit misleading as well because they are wildly inflated by a Week 18 matchup against the Chiefs' backups.
While Smith is not the best quarterback in the division, he is certainly not the worst. That title now belongs to Nix, which will make life difficult for the Broncos in 2025. Finally, the shoe is on the other foot for the Silver and Black as they head into a season with a legitimate answer at the game's most important position.