Chiefs' AFC West Foe Voted Worst in the NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for another run at an AFC West title. While most of the teams in the AFC West have improved, that is not the case for every team.

Zolton Buday of Pro Football Focus recently analyzed the least improved units in the league following the draft. Although they have improved on the offensive side of the ball, Buday voted the Las Vegas Raiders' defense as the least improved unit of any team in the league.

"The Raiders have arguably one of the best defensive players in the NFL in edge defender Maxx Crosby. But even he is coming off a down year for his standards, ranking just 25th among edge defenders in PFF overall grade (74.3). Outside of the Eastern Michigan product, the Las Vegas defense lacks talent, especially in the secondary after the departures of cornerback Jack Jones and safety Tre'von Moehrig. Despite making five picks over the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected just one defensive player in the first three rounds," Buday said.

"This leaves Las Vegas with Devin White expected to start at linebacker. White played only 176 snaps in 2024 and finished outside the top 70 linebackers in PFF overall grade in each of the previous four seasons. While the Raiders’ lone defensive pick in the first three rounds of the draft was cornerback Darien Porter, they still have arguably the weakest cornerback group in the NFL."

Buday noted the Raiders' group of cornerbacks leaves much to be desired, as it is an inexperienced group. The Raiders have needed help at cornerback for a while, but have only marginally addressed the position. The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take it, as they face each other twice.

"Of the four cornerbacks on Las Vegas' roster who played at least 200 snaps last season, none finished with a 65.0-plus PFF overall grade. Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes’ 61.3 mark was the highest of the group, and he ranked only 74th among 116 qualifiers at the position last season," Buday said.

Kansas City does not need much help beating the Raiders, as they have dominated the series between the two over the last decade. However, while Kansas City is the better team, a subpar Raiders team is still the last team to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium two seasons ago.

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