The Las Vegas Raiders have been suffering badly since Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Their rivals have won the division for eight straight seasons, and based on early analysis, it doesn’t look like much is going to change.
The Chiefs are currently back-to-back champions and are looking to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls in the NFL. For the Raiders, entering a fresh start with Antonio Pierce taking over as head coach, it would take a monumental effort to dethrone them in the AFC West.
As rivals, though, it doesn’t mean that you have to be nice to them just because they’re better than you. The team has mimicked Patrick Mahomes during their training camp with a Kermit the Frog doll, but the joke wasn’t well received by NFL fans across social media:
The #Raiders appear to have a Patrick Mahomes Kermit the Frog doll at training camp. 👀
(🎥 @RaidersAQ)
pic.twitter.com/vaOs2TNrQh— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 25, 2024
The raiders are a clown show. What have they done in the last 10 years? Get a new stadium? Move to Vegas? 💀💀 bums https://t.co/6nNX3hl7ga
— Smash Adams (@Goldenstateboy_) July 25, 2024
This’ll be revisited when they get trounced 35-6 in a sleepy 425 Cbs game
— Mike Giarraputo (@mikegiarraputo) July 25, 2024
“Why would they do this to themselves,” a fan said.
“Welp, congrats Chiefs on winning your third straight Super Bowl,” other thought.
“The Raiders are starting early with the bulletin board material this year,” a fan noticed.
Since Mahomes became a starter in the league, he has a 10-2 record against the Raiders. But it’s important to notice that he’s just 1-1 since Antonio Pierce took over, as Las Vegas created an upset in Week 16 that helped Pierce take the full-time job.
What was the last time the Raiders won the division?
It’s been over 20 years since the franchise celebrated the AFC West – in fact, it was also the last time they made it to the Super Bowl, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Jon Gruden as the opposing head coach.
They were still playing in Oakland back in that day. The Los Angeles Chargers won the division four straight times since then, while both the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs added Super Bowl rings to their collection.
The expectations aren’t high with Antonio Pierce in 2024, but the hope is that he can foster a culture of winning before the team can return to challenge their counterparts from 2025 onwards.
