Ranking AFC West teams by quarterback situation: Patrick Mahomes sets the bar
By Lucas Schuh
Ranking the four AFC West teams by their quarterback situation entering 2020.
The AFC West has the best quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes, who suits up for the Kansas City Chiefs. When you’re looking at the quarterbacks in the division, there’s no question that the reigning Super Bowl champions are tops. The real question comes down to how the other three teams stack up against one another in one of the NFL‘s toughest division.
Behind Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers have been graced with quality quarterback play for quite a while. Drew Brees was in San Diego with the franchise for a handful of seasons before Philip Rivers was brought in to replace him. Rivers started every game for the franchise since 2006 but that changes in 2020. With the veteran in Indianapolis, LA has a choice between veteran Tyrod Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Denver Broncos captured a Super Bowl five years ago after landing a rental of Peyton Manning. After his departure, though, it turned into a mess and a string of poor decisions under center. Now, it seems as if the Broncos may have finally settled on Drew Lock as their franchise guy. With only five starts under his belt, though, the jury is still out.
As for the newly moved Las Vegas Raiders, they also struggled to find any kind of consistency at quarterback. In 2014, though, they drafted Derek Carr. But while he’s played solid football to this point in his career, it seems that head coach Jon Gruden and the rest of the Raiders brass may not be long-term fans of what he offers.
Again, it’s clear that Mahomes and the Chiefs have the best quarterback situation in the NFL and, thus, the AFC West. The No. 2-4 spots are up for grabs, though. Therefore, we will rank the teams according to the entirety of their quarterback situation, meaning their starter, backups and the future of the position with the team.