The AFC West is no longer four teams guessing at a pecking order. It’s a division with a clear hierarchy, and this year’s power rankings prove it.
From a Las Vegas Raiders team still climbing out of the basement to a Denver Broncos squad daring anyone to knock them off, here’s how the West shakes out with kickoff just days away.
We’ll start at four and work our way up. It’s power rankings time!
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders should be a much improved team from last season. Upgrades at quarterback, linebacker, and the bulk of the coaching staff should make a world of difference.
Still, it’s important to remember this team has a long way to climb. The AFC West is a tough division, and the Raiders were objectively terrible last season. Even significant improvement may not be enough to lift them out of the division’s basement this season.
Moving on to another team looking to bounce back from a bad 2025 season…
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Is the dynasty already over? The Chiefs fell off a cliff last season after winning the AFC in 2024, and a big part of that was undoubtedly due to an injured Patrick Mahomes. Still, this team was average even when he was healthy.
Travis Kelce’s losing battle with father time and Rashee Rice’s criminal proclivities exposed just how thin the Chiefs are at the offensive skill positions. Looking at the depth chart for this year’s squad, it is hard to argue that they got much better. For now, Kansas City sits a distant third.
Time to look at the two teams that have begun to separate themselves in this division.
Related: Evan Neal signing could be a bigger deal for the Raiders than it looks
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are weird. Once again, this team looks poised to finally emerge as a Super Bowl contender. They have all the prerequisite pieces and made a major upgrade at offensive coordinator, replacing Greg Roman with Mike McDaniel.
However, injuries have once again started to jeopardize those hopes. Newly signed center Tyler Biadasz is already out for the season with a knee injury. At this point, it’s fair to stay in “wait and see” mode with the Chargers. It may sound silly, but this team might be cursed.
Finally, we wrap things up with the defending AFC West champs.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos remain on top heading into the season. The offseason additions of Jaylen Waddle and Jonah Coleman are exactly what this offense needed to better complement what should continue to be an elite defense.
If Bo Nix can parlay these new weapons into the next step in his development, the sky is the limit for Denver. That urgency matters, too, because defensive dominance tends to be fickle, and Denver needs to strike while the iron is hot. Should the offense fail to improve, things could unravel quickly if the defense takes a step backward.
For now, though, Sean Payton and Co. have earned the benefit of the doubt.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images