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The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be the team that the AFC West will look to dethrone and the Las Vegas Raiders’ perfect 2024 season has been laid out by Rich Eisen.
Successive Super Bowl rings for the Kansas City Chiefs have put them in pole position and it is hard to bet against them with Patrick Mahomes under center.
The three-time Super Bowl and two-time regular season MVP has more weapons on offense with Marquise Brown joining from free agency.
Rookie Xavier Worthy poses a further threat to defensive secondaries and the return of Super Bowl game-winner Mecole Hardman has seen fans utter the ‘Legion of Zoom‘.
The Kansas City Chiefs look to extend their period of dominance in 2024
The Chiefs have reigned supreme since Mahomes took over from Alex Smith as the starter for the franchise.
Their earliest postseason exit in the last six years has been the AFC Championship round during overtime against the New England Patriots (2018) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2021).
However, their dominance has put a target on their back and a slow start in 2024 just like in 2023 could spell early trouble.
The offense struggled to find its rhythm and the defense was significant for the Chiefs to produce an 11-6 record.
The Las Vegas Raider stunned the Chiefs with a defensive masterclass at Arrowhead
Their woes reached an all-time high when they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium 20-14.
Maxx Crosby and his defense terrorized Mahomes on Christmas day, sacking him four times and forcing an interception.
This was one of the first times Mahomes had been bombarded with pressure to this level and it forced Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce to say they had found the ‘blueprint’.
In the offseason, the Raiders have added defensive tackle Christian Wilkins from the Miami Dolphins to pose a further threat on the D-Line.
Their rivalry with the Chiefs is one of the most historic in the league and they will be desperate to be the team to end their three-peat dreams.
Moreover, the Raiders have failed to win the AFC West since 2002 and had to watch their bitter rival lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in their own stadium.
NFL expert believes the ‘ultimate’ situation for the Raiders is defeating the Chiefs in the playoffs
Rich Eisen laid out what would be the perfect situation for the Raiders in 2024 in the ‘best-case’ scenario segment for each NFL team.
“Maxx Crosby is your defensive player of the year… Antonio Pierce is a Coach of the Year finalist and the Autumn wind is a pirate and they win the AFC West,” Eisen stated.
“This is the ultimate [scenario], they win the AFC West and whose the wild card team that comes into play them in the first week of the playoffs? The Kansas City Chiefs and they exercise the demons and they clear out the stadium of the stink, in their mind, of the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl in there. They’re the ones who personally end the three-peat in the spot where the three-peat officially became possible.”
The confetti is still fresh on the turf where the Chiefs paraded their third Super Bowl trophy in the last five years.
After the Chiefs were victorious in February, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling waved the Chiefs flag in the center of the Raiders’ home and planted the flag in the grass.
Ultimately, there is no bad blood lost between the two teams and the Raiders will be confident of pushing the Chiefs to the limit in the AFC West.