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The AFC West is the home of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and have a good opportunity to repeat.
But there is one team in the AFC West may have something to say about the Chiefs being a lock for the division crown.
The Las Vegas Raiders are fighting this season and have an opportunity to go 2-0 against the Chiefs. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are developing young quarterbacks and will be contenders in the AFC West soon. This division has the opportunity to be great in the near future.
4. Denver Broncos (3-5)
The Denver Broncos lost a key piece to their defense in Von Miller earlier on this season. This has impacted their defense on the football field.
The main struggle for the Broncos this season, however, is their offense. Drew Lock is up and down at QB and Melvin Gordon III has not given them the numbers they thought he would when they acquired the man who was a Pro Bowl running back with Denver's AFC West rival Chargers.
The Broncos have had troubles at the quarterback position ever since Peyton Manning retired. They have not found the right guy for the job. They're hoping that Drew Lock will soon develop into their franchise quarterback.
What it will come down to for the Denver Broncos is, how long will they wait for Drew Lock before making a move? The Broncos will have a tough decision to make with Gordon if he does not start producing. The Chargers had a tough time finding trade partners for MG3, and this could be the same issue that the Broncos run into if they decide to move on.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (2-6)
The Los Angeles Chargers are a team that has high upside when it comes to the future. Quarterback Justin Herbert is starting to mold into a franchise quarterback and it's only his rookie season. If the Chargers can keep him healthy they'll have a shot at battling the Chiefs in the AFC West in the next two years.
The Chargers are missing two important pieces to their defense in safety Derwin James and cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who are both on injured reserve. Both are All-Pro talents who could be the heart and soul of L.A.'s defense when healthy.
Los Angeles has the opportunity to end the season strong and play spoiler to many teams' playoff hopes. As Herbert develops and improves, the Chargers will soar. Although the Chargers will not make the playoffs this year. We can look to see them in the playoffs soon and competing for an AFC West title.
2. Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)
The Las Vegas Raiders are the only team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs this season. They're also the team that forced Patrick Mahomes to throw his only interception. The Raiders are a tough team in the AFC West that is fighting for coach Jon Gruden.
Las Vegas has had a lot of success on the offensive side of the football this season. They can thank quarterback Derek Carr for that success. Carr has played his heart out this season for the Raiders. Derek Carr has proven to be the franchise quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders have the opportunity to go undefeated against the Kansas City Chiefs when the two teams face off in two weeks. The Raiders have back-to-back home games against AFC West rivals. We can expect Gruden and company to fight hard for the rest of the season to make a push at the AFC West crown.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the team to beat for three years now in the AFC West. They're flying high right now coming off a Super Bowl win last season. The Chiefs are on the way to repeating unless someone can stop Mahomes and Tyreek Hill.
The only thing that could potentially hold the Chiefs back is their defense. Last season fans questioned the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs eventually won the Super Bowl with a decent defense and an amazing offense.
The only team that the Chiefs have only lost one game this season and their young quarterback has only made one mistake. Mahomes is on his way to potentially winning the MVP this season. If the Chiefs can clean up their defense a little bit they'll be well on their way to easily winning the AFC West and repeating as champions.
