Can the Raiders Go from Worst to First in AFC West?

The Las Vegas Raiders entered the season hoping to compete for at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. However, those hopes immediately fell flat after a difficult start to the season, which included their All-Pro wide receiver forcing his way out of town. The Raiders struggled mightily the entire season, including going on a 10-game losing streak before winning a couple of games late in the season.

The Raiders' disappointing season led to the dismissal of former head coach Antonio Pierce and the dismissal of former general manager Tom Telesco shortly after. The Raiders replace Pierce and Telesco with head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.

The addition of Carroll and Spytek, along with the assumed changes that will happen to the Raiders' roster, gives room that things will change for the Silver and Black next season. Still, the Raiders have a long way to go if they hope to push for a Wild Card berth and an even further ways to go if they hope to be the ones to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be vying for their 10th-consecutive AFC West title.

Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus ranked the last place teams in every division's chances of going from the worst team in the division this season to winning the division next season. He ranked the Raiders as the team least likely to do so.

"Like the [Chicago] Bears, the Raiders are in a division where all three other teams made the playoffs this past season," Buday said. "However, unlike the NFC North, the [Denver] Broncos and [Los Angeles] Chargers are on an upward trajectory with a young quarterback and a promising second-year head coach, respectively. The division is rounded out by the Kansas City Chiefs, who have played in the past three Super Bowls and won two.

"The Raiders face an almost impossible task of winning this division even if they had a quarterback and a lot of talent. Aside from tight end Brock Bowers and edge defender Maxx Crosby, they lack the core pieces to be a contender."

While it may be unlikely the Raiders are the ones to dethrone the Chiefs atop the AFC West, Las Vegas does not have to do so for next season to be considered a success.

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