1 – Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City lost a few key players this offseason. With Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu moving on, it’ll be up to the leaders on each side of the ball to make sure the Chiefs are still ready for the season. At the end of the day, we trust that this can happen. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will still lead an offence that very few teams will be able to stick with. Chris Jones and Frank Clark will also still be wreaking havoc on the line for opposing quarterbacks. The secondary won’t be a strong suit for Kansas City, but when it comes to winning shootout games, there might not be a team better in the league than the Chiefs.
2 – Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers made some significant improvements in the offseason and may be the division’s best hope at knocking the Chiefs off the top spot. The offence stayed mostly the same and will be led by the trio of Herbert, Ekeler and Allen. On defence, however, things will be different. In the secondary, they’ll have newly acquired J.C. Jackson giving opposing receivers and quarterbacks plenty of problems. On the line, Khalil Mack will hope to make an immediate impact playing alongside Joey Bosa. If things gel correctly and guys can stay healthy, the Chargers could be a serious Super Bowl contender.
3 – Denver Broncos
Can one man turn a franchise around? After the offseason trade for Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos are certainly hoping so. They do have the pieces around him, with Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon splitting usage in a dangerous backfield while Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton headline a talented receiver core. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they traded for Russell Wilson in the same offseason that their division became maybe the toughest of all time. This will be an excellent team, but excellent may not be good enough to make it to the top of the AFC West this year.
4 – Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders may be ranked fourth on this list, but they could still make a lot of noise in the AFC. The best receiver in the league is now playing for the black and silver and has had high praise for Derek Carr in the offseason. With Darren Waller healthy again and Hunter Renfrow doing his thing as well this year, the Raiders will boast an extremely dangerous passing offence. Unfortunately, just like for the Broncos, this team may not be good enough to find themselves at the top of this historically competitive division.
