The Oakland Raiders may be the biggest rivals of the Kansas City Chiefs, but Arrowhead fans' hatred for the Denver Broncos is rapidly growing. That's not surprising considering the fact that the Broncos have won the AFC West the last four consecutive years, and the Chiefs have won it once since 2004.

Last season the Chiefs missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record placing second in the division.

By far the biggest issue for the Chiefs was lack of production from the wide receivers. As the Chiefs have heard a million times, their team did not have a single touchdown reception from a wide receiver the entire season. Dwyane Bowe is out and Jeremy Maclin is in as the new No. 1 wide out for the Chiefs

Maclin isn't the next Jerry Rice, but his prior relationship and success with Andy Reid on the Philadelphia Eagles brings hope to the offense. As for quarterback Alex Smith, it's time for him to take that next step. Smith is a former No. 1 overall pick who has a very big salary this year.

Smith is a "play it safe" quarterback having thrown just 13 total interceptions the last two years for the Chiefs, but his passing yards, touchdowns thrown and QBR were all below average last season. Jamaal Charles is one of the best running backs in the league, but he is being asked to do way too much because of the lack of the vertical passing game.

The Chiefs just haven't been able to figure out the Manning-Broncos code yet. No one in the AFC West has, as a matter of fact. Since Manning became the Broncos quarterback, he is an incredible 17-1 against AFC West teams. That one loss came against the San Diego Chargers in the 2013-14 season. The Chiefs are a combined 0-6 against Manning the last three years.

Thankfully for the Chiefs, they were able to re-sign their best defensive player, Justin Houston. Houston is one of the best sack masters in the league, and paired with Tamba Hali, these two rival Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware for the best one-two punch.

This Chiefs team has great potential. They were, after all, the only team to beat both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks last year, both of whom were in the Super Bowl. But again, offense is a major concern. The Chiefs had the No. 2 ranked scoring defense last season, but ranked 29th in passing yards and 25th in total yards. It's time for the Chiefs to open up the field more.

Eric Fisher, the Chiefs' 2013 No. 1 overall pick, has a very big year ahead of him. Fisher played all 16 games last season, but has been moved around quite a bit. He has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

If the Chiefs are finally going to break through and win the AFC West, they must beat the Broncos at least once. Three of the first four games of the Chiefs season will be played on the road, but Week 2 is the big one. The Chiefs host the Broncos on Thursday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium. It may only be Week 2, but that is an absolute "must win" game for Reid's squad. The Broncos offensive line isn't in shambles, but it is somewhat vulnerable.

This upcoming Chiefs season will be one of the most anticipated ones yet.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1