Former teammate of Raiders QB doesn't think team will win division
The Las Vegas Raiders fell just short, okay very short, of having the 2022 season most thought they would. It seems that bringing in a new regime, the best receiver in football, and Chandler Jones doesn't make you better. Sure, the Raiders made the playoffs the year before with a worse roster and an interim […]
The Las Vegas Raiders fell just short, okay very short, of having the 2022 season most thought they would. It seems that bringing in a new regime, the best receiver in football, and Chandler Jones doesn't make you better.
Sure, the Raiders made the playoffs the year before with a worse roster and an interim head coach. But, that's the NFL.
This offseason they went and got a quarterback who knows the system, they grabbed more weapons for him in Jakobi Meyers and DeAndre Carter, and they have a high draft pick to build for the future. That pick could turn into some defensive help or even offensive line help.
But, they still have to go through the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. I mean, we all know that if we are going to be realistic about things.
The Chiefs went undefeated in the division and came out on top of the NFL as Super Bowl champions. If you don't say they are the team to beat in the division then you are likely not being realistic.
One of Jimmy Garoppolo's former teammates George Kittle thinks the same thing, and it's nothing on the Raiders or Garoppolo.
"The Raiders were going to win the AFC West, they were supposed to last year, right? Them and Denver," Kittle said on the Bussin with the Boys podcast. "Yeah, it didn't go very well. No, I just don't think anyone's gonna beat Patrick and Travis."
While, yes, the Chiefs are the team to beat, that doesn't mean the Raiders can't beat them. They have improved this offseason, even if some of the moves they have made may seem questionable.
They got some guys who know how to run the offense much better than they guys last year. So, that's a start. But, the Chiefs haven't had the best offseason. They have lost some key pieces like Frank Clark, Orlando Brown Jr., Andrew Wylie, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Some of those they have already come up with a replacement, but the wide receiver position is a question for them. The guys they do have there, well, Kadarius Toney, the wide receiver one, have injury problems.
The Chiefs will be beatable in 2023. If the Raiders can beat them, they can win the division. It's that simple. If so, Garoppolo may end up regretting his comment.
