AFC West Breakdown: Which Team Will Win The Division?

The AFC West is the weakest division in the AFC.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are the class of the AFC West.

They have won back-to-back Super Bowls.

The Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers are not expected to make the playoffs.

The Raiders finished second in the AFC West with an 8-9 record last season.

They did not make the postseason.

The Broncos were also 8-9 and did not make the playoffs last year.

Russell Wilson is no longer with Denver.

The Chargers finished last in the division last season with a 5-12 record.

Despite having Justin Herbert, the Chargers had a terrible season and fired head coach Brandon Staley.

They brought in Jim Harbaugh to take over head coaching duties.

Below, we will break down each team in the AFC West and predict which team will win the division.

AFC West Breakdown

The AFC West is the weakest division in the AFC with three teams not expected to make the postseason.

Scroll down for a breakdown of each AFC West team heading into the 2024 NFL season.

Kansas City Chiefs

Since Patrick Mahomes took over the starting QB job in 2018, no team has seen more success than the Kansas City Chiefs.

They have won three Super Bowls and made it to the AFC Championship game or better each year since 2018.

The Chiefs have owned the AFC West since 2016, winning the division each season since 2016.

The four key people in this dynasty are Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones.

With those four, it is nearly impossible to defeat the Chiefs.

They got even better this offseason.

Kansas City added WR Marquise (Hollywood) Brown and rookie WR Xavier Worthy.

Their weakest group on offense was the WR position but they added two players that will contribute from week 1.

They have an excellent offensive line and Isiah Pacheco has become a trusted weapon out of the backfield.

The defense was superb for the Chiefs last year, ranking second in points allowed per game.

They allowed 17.0 points per game, while Buffalo ranked third, allowed 18.7 points per game.

L’Jarius Sneed is no longer with the Chiefs, a significant loss to their pass defense.

Still, the Chiefs should remain formidable defensively, while improving offensively this offseason.

Kansas City is the Super Bowl favorite and should cruise through the AFC West.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders finished second in the AFC West with an 8-9 record last year.

However, they did not make the postseason.

They made a coaching change mid-season last year.

The Raiders fired Josh McDaniels and promoted Antonio Pierce to head coach.

Pierce will remain the head coach and he did a good job last year.

The Raiders played much harder under Pierce and players were very happy with the coaching change.

This prompted the Raiders to keep Pierce in that position.

The biggest question mark for the Raiders is the QB position.

Aidan O’Connell is expected to be the starting QB.

He will need to improve and prove to be a capable starting QB for the Raiders to have a chance of making the postseason.

O’Connell was better towards the end of the season, playing well in three of his final four games last year.

He threw eight passing TDs and zero interceptions in his final four games last year.

The Raiders need O’Connell to play very well and if he can perform well, they could fight for a playoff spot but do not expect them to win the AFC West over the Chiefs.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos were 8-9 and did not make the playoffs last year.

Russell Wilson was the starting QB last year but he is no longer with the team.

Bo Nix or Jarrett Stidham will start under center.

Nix will eventually be the starter but it is unknown if Denver will start him in week 1 or wait a bit.

At the start of the season, Denver looked like they’d be one of the worst teams in the league but they started to play much better as the season went on.

Sean Payton did a good job in his first year as the head coach of the Broncos.

However, Payton and Wilson’s relationship seemed rocky and it was evident last year that Denver would move on from Wilson.

Denver’s defense ranked 27th in points allowed per game last year.

They will need to improve significantly.

Denver will not challenge for the AFC West crown and it is unlikely they can make the playoffs this season.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers finished last in the division last year with a 5-12 record.

Despite having Justin Herbert, the Chargers had a terrible season and fired head coach Brandon Staley.

They brought in Jim Harbaugh to take over head coaching duties.

Harbaugh will help the Chargers improve defensively and with their rushing attack, something they have lacked over the last few years.

There is no denying Justin Herbert is a top-tier talent QB.

However, the Chargers have made life very challenging for their star QB.

RB Austin Ekeler and WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are no longer with the team.

Ekeler averaged 70.5 receptions per year during his time playing with Herbert.

These three players were the Chargers’ offense with nobody else on the team coming close to their production.

Herbert is starting over with a receiving corps that consists of two rookies and Quentin Johnston, who underperformed in his rookie year last season.

Their RB room includes Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, both unproven pass catchers.

Herbert throws a lot to RBs, which is why he and Ekeler were successful.

Despite the lack of weapons, Herbert and the Chargers should improve upon their five wins from last year but do not expect them to compete with the Chiefs for the AFC West crown.

Which Team Will Win The AFC West?

This is a no-brainer.

The Broncos and Raiders have major question marks at the QB position.

While the Chargers are in better hands under Jim Harbaugh, they have no proven WR and have players on the defensive side who are aging and can not stay on the field.

The Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones.

Kansas City is back-to-back Super Bowl champions and seems like a lock to at least make it to the AFC Championship game each year with this group.

The Chiefs will once again win the AFC West and are the favorites to win the Super Bowl, for a third straight year.