AFC West predictions.

 It is now time to look at the final division in the NFL, the AFC West. The Chiefs had their worst season in a long time, but there's a good chance they'll be back. The Broncos won the division for the first time since their Super Bowl win back in 2015, but came up short in the AFC Championship. The Chargers were first round exits. And the Raiders were the worst team in the league, but their future is looking bright. Here's my 2 cents.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (13-4) (1 seed)

2. Denver Broncos (12-5) (5 seed)

3. Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)

4. Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)

The Chiefs went 6-11 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, when Patrick Mahomes was a freshman in college. Speaking of Mahomes, he tore his ACL in week 15, but is expected to be back in time for the start of the season. The Chiefs signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to a 3-year deal, and traded for Justin Fields as a backup to Mahomes. They also kept Travis Kelce for another year. They selected cornerback Mansoor Delane with the 6th pick in the draft. They are going all in for this year, because if this year doesn't go well, their window might be shut. And I think it's working and the window stays open a bit longer.

The Broncos won the AFC West last year for the first time in 10 years, and beat the Bills to go to the AFC Championship. A couple of minutes after that game, it was announced that quarterback Bo Nix had broken his ankle and would miss the rest of the playoffs. The Broncos lost the AFC Championship to the Patriots in a game that was hard to watch. They traded for Jaylen Waddle so Nix has another weapon to throw to. Other than that their off-season was pretty quiet. They had no first round picks and didn't sign anyone notable. But I still believe that their team is very talented and I could definitely see them winning this division. It's just gonna be hard to stop the Chiefs.

The Chargers were the 7th seed last year and lost in round 1 to the Patriots. They fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman after 2 years, and replaced him with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Definitely an upgrade. They signed Keaton Mitchell and Tyler Biadasz in the offseason and cut Mekhi Becton. They drafted Akeem Mesidor. They are loading up for this year in hopes that this year they have a deep run and maybe reach the playoffs. I could definitely see it happening.

The Raiders had a horrible 2025, going 3-14. That got them the number 1 overall pick, where they selected Fernando Mendoza. They hired Klint Kubiak as their new coach, Andrew Janocko as their new offensive coordinator, and Rob Leonard as their defensive coordinator. They signed Tyler Lindenbaum, Nakobe Dean, and Quay Walker, as well as Kirk Cousins as a backup QB. They also drafted Mike Washington Jr, although Ashton Jeanty will get the majority of the carries. This is a very promising team, but I still think they're a few years away from being elite.

Literally all 4 of these teams have a realistic shot at the playoffs. You can never count out Mahomes and the Chiefs, though. So that's why they are my pick for the division champion.

Now that all the divisions are done, what's left for me to do? The playoffs! That's what I will be doing next time out.