Oakland Raiders Not Considered A Threat To Chiefs, Chargers In 2019 AFC West After Beating Broncos

The Oakland Raiders had one of the most surprising wins in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season, defeating the Denver Broncos 24-16 as home underdogs. The victory put them in a very early tie atop the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, both of whom also started off the year 1-0.

Despite manhandling their division rivals, the Raiders still aren’t considered a real threat to end up in first place when the playoffs come around.

According to the betting odds at the start of Week 2, the AFC West remains a two-team race. Oakland is a long shot with +1600 odds to win the division at FanDuel Sportsbook. DraftKings Sportsbook even has them behind Denver with +1800 odds to win the AFC West.

Kansas City is the odds-on favorite to win their fourth straight division title at -165. Los Angeles has +170 and +175 odds at the New Jersey sportsbooks.

The Raiders don’t have to wait long to prove that they can challenge the Chiefs. Oakland will host Kansas City Sunday afternoon in a key divisional matchup. The defending AFC West champions are 9.5-point road favorites in Oakland, according to OddsShark.

If the Raiders finish ahead of the Broncos in the standings, it might be considered a success. Oakland wasn’t thought to be a playoff contender in the preseason, and that was before the team released Antonio Brown.

Derek Carr was terrific in Monday’s win, completing 22 of 26 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback didn’t face pressure all night against a Denver defense that has a chance to be among the league’s best units.

Joe Flacco gives the Broncos the worst quarterback in the division. Denver failed to rank in the top half of the NFL in total offense in each of the last three seasons.

The Chiefs showed in Week 1 why only the New England Patriots have better Super Bowl odds. Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes threw for 378 yards and a 143.2 passer rating in a 40-26 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Chargers needed overtime to beat the Indianapolis Colts 30-24. Los Angeles went 12-4 last season with a trip to the second round of the playoffs.

It’s been 17 years since the Raiders last won a division title. The 2016 season was the only time during that span in which Oakland even finished in second place.

Oakland has won four games or fewer in four of the last seven seasons.