It’s been a long, long time since the Raiders have won the AFC West. The last time they’ve accomplished that feat is in 2002. Since then, the Chiefs, Broncos and Chargers have each won the division at least five times.
Heading into the 2021 season, the expectation is that the Raiders won’t be a real threat to win the division title anytime soon. According to BetMGM, the Raiders are a 10-1 underdog (-1000) to win the division this year.
As expected, the Chiefs are overwhelming favorites at -450. They’ve won the division five straight years and with the combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
After Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers actually have the next-best odds to win the division at +550. Oddsmakers believe that with Justin Herbert under center, the Chargers might be a legitimate threat to the Chiefs sooner rather than later.
The good news for the Raiders is that they don’t have the worse odds in the division as the Broncos sit at +1800. Denver has the most unstable quarterback situation in the division and unless they address it in the 2021 NFL draft, their odds to win likely won’t change anytime soon.
Unfortunately, this is one of the least competitive divisions in the NFL due to just how dominant the Chiefs have been over the last half-decade. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
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