the last time the raiders won the afc west was 2002.
the last time the raiders won the afc west was 2002.
when was the last time the raiders won the afc west?
2002
under gruden, the raiders posted consecutive 8–8 seasons in 1998 and 1999, and leapt out of last place in the afc west. after uniting with journeyman quarterback rich gannon, gruden led the raiders to the top of the afc west and they made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 2000 to 2002 (the third season was under head coach bill callahan). oakland finished 12–4 in the 2000 season, the team's most successful season in a decade, and its first division title since 1990, ultimately reaching the , where they lost, 16–3, to the eventual super bowl champions baltimore ravens. in 2001, the raiders would return to the postseason with a 10–6 record, but in the afc divisional round a negated fumble proved costly as they were defeated, 16–13, in overtime by the eventual super bowl champions new england patriots. while gruden was with the raiders, gruden acquired his nickname "chucky" from raiders defensive lineman grady jackson, who thought that the coach looked like the fictional character "chucky" in the 1988 slasher movie "child's play".
jon gruden
due to television contracts, nfl bylaws, and being in the same division if both of the longstanding division rivals were to move to la, one of the teams would have to move to the national football conference and the nfc west, something that mark davis volunteered the raiders to be willing to do. the raiders' move to the national football conference and the nfc west would be considered ironic because davis's father al davis was a staunch opponent of the nfl during its rivalry and eventual merger with the afl. if such a realignment were to occur, one of the existing nfc west teams would take their spot in the afc west. the early rumor was that the seattle seahawks, who played in the afc west from 1977 to 2001, would be the favorite to switch conferences with the raiders. however, that team's growing rivalry with the san francisco 49ers (who are assured of staying in the nfc west) now points to either the arizona cardinals or the st. louis rams (if the latter stays in st. louis) moving to the afc west to take the raiders' spot. if the rams stayed in st. louis, switching them to the afc would have allowed for a yearly home-and-home with the cross-state kansas city chiefs.
2015 nfl season