For the most part, the last two decades of Raiders football have not been pleasing to fans.
Since reaching the Super Bowl in 2002, not only have the Raiders moved locations, but they’ve reached the playoffs just twice, failing to win a game in either of those runs. With the Klint Kubiak era off to a hot start in 2026 though, there’s some renewed hope in Las Vegas.
If the Raiders beat the red-hot Chiefs in Week 4 to remain unbeaten, they’ll hold sole possession of first place in the AFC West — a feat that’s been hard to come by for the franchise in recent years.
Here’s a look at the last time the Raiders won and led their division.
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Last time Raiders won AFC West
The Raiders are tied with the Jets for the second-longest active division title drought in the NFL, last winning the AFC West in their 2002 season under Bill Calahan. Only the Browns (1989) have waited longer to return to the top of their respective division standings.
That 2002 season, after reaching the playoffs in each of the last two years under Jon Gruden, Calahan took the franchise over following Gruden’s exit to the Buccaneers via trade. Calahan, the Raiders’ offensive coordinator prior to then, would lead the Raiders to a third-straight AFC West title in 2002, with Rich Gannon passing for an NFL-best 4,689 yards as the team’s quarterback.
The 11-win Raiders made a run to the Super Bowl in 2002 by beating the Jets and Titans in the playoffs, but Gruden got the last laugh by taking down his old team in a Super Bowl matchup.
Since then, the Raiders haven’t returned to hold the AFC West crown, coming close in 2016 but settling for a Wild Cars spot.
Last time Raiders were in first place in AFC West
The last time the Raiders held sole possession of the AFC West may not count for much, as they started 1-0 in 2023 by beating the Broncos, while the Chiefs and Chargers also lost in Week 1 that year. Las Vegas’ lead was short-lived, of course, going on to finish 8-9.
Removing the Week 1 criteria, the Raiders last held sole possession of the AFC West lead in 2021. By the time Week 7 arrived that season, after beating the Eagles 33-22, Las Vegas sat at 5-2 entering its bye week, while the Chiefs were 3-4, the Broncos 3-4, and the Chargers at 4-2.
Again, that 2021 lead was short-lived, as Las Vegas snuck into the playoffs as a wild card at 10-7, while the Chiefs won the division with a second-half push.
The 2016 season is one of the only other recent instances of the Raiders leading their division. After reaching a 7-2 record through Week 9 and another win in Week 11 to reach 8-2, the Raiders were in first place. When they beat the Chargers in Week 15 to improve to 11-3, the Raiders once again took the division lead — but they wouldn’t go on to win the AFC West, losing the tiebreaker to Kansas City, which finished with an identical 12-4 record.
Those 2016 and 2021 seasons were two of the only Raiders seasons full of hope over the last two decades — in fact, they are the franchise’s only playoff appearances since 2002.
With Kubiak at the helm and Kirk Cousins playing well, the Raiders will be hoping to snap their drought in 2026.
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