Oakland Raiders Closing Gap On Kansas City Chiefs, Ahead Of LA Chargers, Denver Broncos In AFC West

The Oakland Raiders were supposed to be one of the NFL’s worst teams in the 2019 season. That hasn’t been the case through five weeks, and they are only a game out of first place in the AFC West after pulling off their second straight upset.

Oakland improved to 3-2 in Week 5, defeating the Chicago Bears 24-21. The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season Sunday night, losing to the Indianapolis Colts and dropping to 4-1.

The Raiders defeated the Colts in Indianapolis in Week 4.

The Denver Broncos picked up their first victory of the season Sunday, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 20-13. L.A. has been among the league’s biggest disappointments with a 2-3 record, putting them a game behind Oakland in the standings.

Kansas City remains the very heavy favorite to win the division. The Chiefs have -500 odds to finish the season in first place at DraftKings Sportsbook. Los Angeles and Oakland are tied with +650 betting odds.

The Chargers are the only AFC West opponent that the Raiders have yet to face this season. Oakland defeated Denver handily in the season opener. The Chiefs won in Oakland 28-10 in Week 2.

Derek Carr went 25-32 for 229 yards against what might be the NFC’s best defense. It was the third time this season the quarterback completed at least 78 percent of his passes. He leads the league in completion percentage, and 18 quarterbacks have been sacked more times than Carr.

Playing for the injured Mitchell Trubisky, Chase Daniel was sacked four times by a Raiders’ pass rush that had only totaled five sacks in the first four games. Oakland limited Jacoby Brissett to completing 52.2 percent of his passes the previous week.

Oakland will be tested after their bye in Week 6, given the chance to prove that they can actually remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Raiders will visit the Green Bay Packers in Week 7 before playing on the road against the Houston Texans in Week 8.

The Raiders won’t play a team that’s currently under .500 until they host the Chargers in Week 10.