AFC West Predictions, Odds: Kansas City Chiefs look to Continue Division Dominance
-
Edgar Chaput
When the AFC West is mentioned, people only think of one team, the Kansas City Chiefs. For good reason. They’ve played in three of the last four Super Bowls and won two of them. Last year the arrivals of Russell Wilson in Denver and Davante Adams in Las Vegas were supposed to tilt the balance of power, but nothing came of it.
Be sure to check out our NFL odds and Futures for all your football action.
AFC West Preview
Denver Broncos
Let’s try that again but with a different coach. Nathaniel Hackett is out and former Saints boss Sean Payton is in. Together with QB Russell Wilson, some sparks are expected to fly at Mile High in 2023. “Some” because sparks were anticipated last year and absolutely nothing happened.
Top Receiver Jerry Jeudy is listed as questionable heading into Week 1, which may put the Broncos behind the proverbial eight-ball already. If things are tough to start as they were last year, the club knows it can rely on a good defence. Despite the 5-12 record, it was a unit that hovered just inside or outside the top 10 in the major statistical categories. As the season wore on, it got more injured and tired, but overall it’s a very solid group. Cornerback Pat Surtain II aims to continue his rise as one of the better secondary players in the league.
Broncos Record Preview: 7-10
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs enter another campaign as one of the heavy favourites to win it all, which is the fifth year in a row that’s the case (we won’t count 2018 because that was Patrick Mahomes’ coming out party). As defending champions and winners of two Super Bowls in four seasons, KC is bouncing with confidence. It doesn’t appear to matter what the situation is, they’ll find a way.
Travis Kelce is one of the best, if not the outright best TE in the game and is as fired up as always if training camp is anything to go by. They get the job done with a good receiver corps but not one with names at the tip of everyone’s tongue: Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore. Chalk that up to the group’s inherent talent but also the quality of the QB and head coach, Andy Reid. A long-time league favourite, the one thing missing from his impressive resume was a Super Bowl. Now he owns two rings. The beat is expected to go on.
Chiefs Record Prediction: 12-5
Las Vegas Raiders
The arrival of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t carry the same oomph as that of Davante Adams in 2022, but should it have? However questionable some of his late-game decision-making, the reality is that when he finishes a season (which itself is a frustrating premise), his sides go to championship games and Super Bowls.
The 2022 rushing king Josh Jacobs is officially back after a summer of contract discontent, and the WR unit is rather good (Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers). But the club’s Achilles’ heel for years has been the defence. People overlooked Derek Carr as a loser but his defences had some of the worst season averages out of all 32 NFL teams during his tenure in Oakland and LV. Yes, defensive end Maxx Crosby is a beast, but they don’t have much else. Even Chandler Jones, who also arrived in 2022, was a disappointment.
Raiders Record Prediction: 7-10
Los Angeles Chargers
In a very Chargers-esque late-season twist, Los Angeles finally got the monkey off its back and earned a playoff berth in 2022. Then they proceeded to blow a 28-0 lead in the Wild Card game against the Jaguars and lose. Well okay then. The most frustrating part is that the roster is filled to the brim with talent. They either suffer a plague of injuries or don’t live up to the billing.
QB Justin Herbert, WRs Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, RB Austin Ekeler, linebacker Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, etc. They should win more than they do. At a certain point, someone has to start wondering how good a head coach Brandon Staley is. That’s not to say he’s bad at his job, but there is far too much talent on the roster for this to be some 9-8 Wild Card team. It remains to be seen if the Chargers get over the hump, but they certainly can.
Chargers Record Prediction: 10-7