With the NFL season winding down, the playoff picture is coming into sharper focus. That clarity makes it easier to evaluate where each team in the AFC West stands. There is some movement in this week’s power rankings, so let’s get right to it.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Trending: Steady
At this point, there is little left to say. The Raiders are a bottom-three team in the NFL, still limping toward the finish line. The rookies have shown some promise, but not nearly enough to move the scoreboard.
This week, Las Vegas heads to Philadelphia, where it once again shapes up as a “get-right” game—this time for the Eagles.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Trending: Down
The Chiefs’ reign over the AFC West—and much of the AFC—appears to be over, at least for now. Kansas City is not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but Sunday night’s loss to Houston made the reality hard to ignore.
The moment felt clear when Travis Kelce dropped his second pass of the night, a mistake that led directly to the game-ending interception. It was a snapshot of a team showing its age. Kelce looks closer to the end than the beginning, and at 67, coach Andy Reid may not be far behind him.
With a postseason run increasingly unlikely, the timing may be right for a retool. The Chiefs are reaching the limits of how far Patrick Mahomes can carry a flawed roster on his own.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
Trending: Up
No matter how banged up the Chargers become, they continue to find ways to win—even against quality opponents. Any lingering criticism of Justin Herbert should be put to rest after he once again carried his team to a victory, this time playing through a broken hand against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Herbert is firmly established as a top-five quarterback in the league. Jim Harbaugh also deserves serious consideration for Coach of the Year, given how he has kept Los Angeles from unraveling. As a result, the Chargers remain very much in the mix for the AFC West crown.
1. Denver Broncos
Trending: Steady
The Broncos remain incapable of putting teams away by double digits. Even in a game they controlled against the Raiders from start to finish, Denver still allowed Las Vegas to linger within one score.
Still, the approach continues to work. Denver is now just three wins away from securing its first AFC West title in 10 years.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images