The AFC West in these last couple of years has been rather quiet with only the Kansas City Chiefs going to the playoffs and the SuperBowl. This offseason the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos took it upon themselves to level the playing field by upgrading their offense or defense. This coming season the AFC West is looking to become quite possibly the most challenging conference in the league. But how will the 2022 season look for all of these teams?
Kansas City Chiefs
By far the Kansas City Chiefs have been the best team in the AFC West in recent years. With future Hall of Famer, Patrick Mahomes manning the field for the Chiefs, they have gone on to four consecutive conference titles and two SuperBowls, where they went on to win one. Although, the Chiefs were able to keep some of their stars this offseason, they did lose two key players in Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu.
With one of Mahomes main targets gone, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s some adjusting issues for Mahomes and the Chiefs’ new rookies right out the gate. On top of that, they have quite frankly the toughest NFL schedule in 2022. In their first five regular season games, they will be facing the Chargers and the Raiders who have also upgraded their offenses and defenses, particularly to kick the Chiefs off their throne. If the Chiefs want to to keep their top spot in the conference, they need to be able to come up with a player that can take Hill’s spot almost effortlessly. That player may come in the form of a Mr.Juju Smith-Schuster who recently got signed by the Chiefs from the the Pittsburgh Steelers. Until Juju and Mahomes mesh on the field, the Chiefs may have a rough start to their 2022 season.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders on paper look like the most well-developed team with trades flying from their front office this offseason, obtaining future Hall of Famers Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. However, out of the quarterbacks in the AFC West, the Raiders arguably have the least talented quarterback. Carr is a very good QB, better than most in the league, but compared to Mahomes or Wilson, his accolades don’t really match up and comparing him to Justin Herbert would be unfair since Herbert hasn’t be in the league as long as Carr.
During Carr’s time with the Raiders he has taken them to the post-season twice and is himself a three time Pro-Bowler. This season the Raiders have added a lot of new talent and their offense can be one of the best in the league only if they can stay healthy. Taking that into consideration, the Raiders have to make sure that their defense can pace themselves and support their offense. There is no doubt that Carr himself will be considered a top caliber quarterback this season, but that depends solely on how well he meshes with these new recruits.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are the most youthful team in the AFC West. They have a young quarterback in Justin Herbert who has shown great potential and could be the Chargers next quarterback for many years to come. They were also able to acquire Khalil Mack from the Chicago Bears during the offseason. This is the first time Mack has been back to the AFC West since 2018. With Herbert on offense and Mack on defense, the Chargers are slowly building a team that can theoretically be a nightmare for most teams. Are they at that level yet though? No…not by a long shot.
The Chargers have only won ten games once in the last 12 seasons. If they want to compete with the rest of the teams in this conference, they have to be able to put up points. Last season, Herbert had 5,014 yards, 38 touchdowns, and made his first appearance in the Pro Bowl. Herbert is the youngest quarterback in the conference and has every reason to be considered a soon to be top quarterback in the league. This coming season, the Chargers have to ensure that every play they make is going to lead to a touchdown.
Denver Broncos
Unlike the rest of the AFC West, the Broncos have a new quarterback and not just any quarterback, they got Russell Wilson as their eyes on the field. Wilson is a future first ballot Hall of Famer and has the most experience in high pressure situations. He has gone to the Pro Bowl nine times and has won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
Now that Wilson is at Mile High, he needs to be able to answer all the questions that the Broncos haven’t been able to answer since Peyton Manning left. Last season, the Broncos record was 7-10 which was the worst record in the conference. With Russell Wilson and new addition Randy Gregory in the mix, it could significantly impact the Broncos outcome this season. However, Wilson only plays offense, so the Broncos need to improve their defense before the start of the season so that their team as a whole are balanced on both ends.
The AFC West this season is going to be a must see conference. None of these teams can afford to lose any games, and it can be possible that all these teams head to the playoffs. They are all stacked with valuable and talented player, but until then the question looms over who is going to be number one this season?