Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are officially the top dogs in the AFC West as well as the entire NFL until they’re completely eliminated from contention. Last year, the team struggled all season and never looked truly like themselves until the playoffs where they swept the competition and took home their third Lombardi trophy in five years. Patrick Mahomes has refused to be counted out his entire career, and with three rings already to his name, no one should forget that.
Although the organization did see a little change in the offseason, nothing happened that indicates much trouble for Kansas City outside of Rashee Rice’s legal situation. With only Rice and Travis Kelce depended on do too much in the pass game last year, the Chiefs addressed their needs by signing Hollywood Brown and drafting Xavier Worthy. This should give Mahomes a lot more confidence in his receiving core.
Defensively, 2024 was the best year for the Chiefs in the Mahomes era by a considerable margin. The team ranked second in both points and yardage against and was the reason for a lot of wins during the campaign. It’s a shame they had to get rid of Willie Gay and L’Jarius Sneed, but for this team, those losses can be made up for. Expect yet another season atop the AFC West.
Los Angeles Chargers
A lot happened during the offseason for Los Angeles. Some of it was great (hiring Jim Harbaugh and drafting Joe Alt), and some of it was not so great (saying goodbye to Mike Williams and Keenan Allen). Some people are down on the Chargers entering this season, but with a bunch of new faces around a proven NFL coach, I think fans of this team could be surprised in what they see this year.
The offence may look a lot different, but the most important piece is still intact. Justin Herbert may have a challenge on his hands with a less than stellar receiving group, but the potential is there with rookie WR Ladd McConkey and D.J. Chark. The running game is also a bit of an unknown, but with Harbaugh’s commitment to physicality and an improved offensive line, both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins will get opportunities to make a difference.
On the other side of the ball, this team just needs to stay healthy. The unit as a whole has dealt with some tough injuries over the last few years, and it’s hurt them considerably. When healthy, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack can still form a very dangerous pass rush, while veteran safety Derwin James controls the field in the secondary. If this defence can come together under Harbaugh and help the offence get comfortable together, Los Angeles might just challenge for a playoff spot out of a soft AFC West division.
Prediction: 8-9
Los Angeles Raiders
Things aren’t great in Vegas right now, but at least Antonio Pierce sits in the chair that Josh McDaniels sat in last year. The Raiders finished 5-4 under Pierce’s command in 2023, and the entire vibe of the team changed for the better. Unfortunately, vibes alone don’t get you very far in the NFL, especially when your quarterback situation is as murky as Vegas’ is.
If Gardner Minshew can have himself a career year in Vegas and prove to everyone he deserves a starting job in the league, Vegas could actually have a pretty decent year. The talent around him with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and rookie Brock Bowers is certainly there, but Minshew still needs to be able to get them the ball. With the defence being slightly above average, if Minshew can utilize his weapons and score between 20-30 points per game, the Raiders will be in the mix almost every week. Last year, if they had scored 22 points in every game, Vegas would have finished 10-7. That’s not out of the question.
It is hard to put this much pressure on Minshew, but the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Your guy might not have to be one of the very best in the league, but he can’t be one of the worst, either. Since Minshew generally shades toward the bottom half on that scale, I think the Raiders will too in the standings.
Prediction: 7-10
Denver Broncos
Like the Raiders, Denver will also be relying on a new quarterback to step up and inject life into what’s been a pretty miserable franchise over the last few years. We can’t say for sure who that guy will even be in Week 1, but at some point, first round rookie Bo Nix will get his chance to shine. Since winning the Super Bowl in 2015, the Broncos have not made it back to the playoffs, and the fanbase is getting tired of mediocrity. Can Sean Payton bring this team back to relevance in the AFC West?
Well, it’s going to be difficult in the near future. Not only is the roster a questionable one at best, but they’ve also got the Chiefs to challenge at the top of the mountain for possibly the next ten years or more. Sean Payton has a great resume, but in his first year as a head coach in Denver, it didn’t exactly translate to success. Sure, the team improved by three wins, but it was just the fifth time in Payton’s sixteen years as an HC that his team finished with a losing record.
If this team really has a chance at success, they’ll need Bo Nix to come in and be the real deal. Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are fine as secondary options on bad teams, but they’re not the players to lead a team to ten-win seasons in the NFL. As for Nix, I don’t think the transition will be a seamless one, and because of this, I expect another tough year in Denver.
Prediction: 4-13
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