Raiders Grab First Place with Chiefs' Loss

Congratulations are in order for Raider Nation and its beloved football organization. The Oakland Raiders moved into first place in the AFC West Sunday.

The second half of the season got underway Sunday with the Raiders enjoying their bye week, and the Kansas City Chiefs got plowed 49-29 by the Denver Broncos.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley even refused to shake Denver coach Josh McDaniels' hand after the game. Dude is not handling the loss of first place in the AFC West very well.

And yeah, if you want to split hairs about it, it is too sole possession of first place for the Oakland Raiders right now. Granted, both the Raiders and Chiefs are now 5-4.

But the first tie-breaker is the divisional record. The Raiders are pitching a perfect 3-0 record against the rest of the AFC West, the Chiefs are 1-2 against divisional opponents.

So if the 2010 season ended right this very second, the Raiders would be your AFC West champions for the first time since 2002.

Seven more games, Nation! The Raiders play the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at 10 a.m. PST.

Joe Kukura ius a freelance writer who will reluctantly admit that Oakland and Kansas City were not actually his preseason picks as the top two teams in the AFC West.

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