How the Las Vegas Raiders can win the AFC West in 2020

1. Favorable schedule

The Raiders are playing just five games against teams that made the playoffs in 2019. Two of those games come within their division with the Chiefs though.

If the Raiders can beat the Chiefs just once this year, they could very well win the division. With the upgrades they made, the majority of their games are very winnable. They could easily sneak into the division title from that alone.

The worries with the schedule come with some tough games early. The Raiders start the season in Carolina. They will then host both the Saints and the Bills Weeks 2 and 4. Week 3 they travel to New England to play the Patriots, who are very questionable without Tom Brady.

Week 5, they travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. Lastly, in Week 7, they play the Buccaneers in Las Vegas.

If they can get past that rough stretch to start the season, the Raiders will win the AFC West. Those games won’t be easier, but they’ll test the Raiders and can build their team’s character and confidence for the rest of the season.

I don’t think they’ll be a Super Bowl team, but they can win the AFC West. They have to take advantage of every moment and they need consistent play from both sides of the ball. These things are very possible.