Last but not least, for the hardest 4-game stretches for each AFC division, comes the west. Playing against the NFC West and AFC East will bring a struggle to just about any division in the league. That said, there are a lot of segments containing divisional foes as well because the AFC West is a gauntlet in its own right.
Much like the AFC North and AFC South before them, for some reason some of the hardest points in the schedule overlap weeks with each other in the west. It also happens to be early in the season for the most part.
With that in mind, some schedules are easier than others. Let’s begin with the easiest, hardest 4-game stretch in the AFC West.
NFL Power Rankings: every AFC West team’s hardest 4-game stretch
4. Raiders Weeks 4-7
The Las Vegas Raiders are only in this spot for one reason. Three out of the four games are at home, which is an advantage that other teams in the division will not have for their rough patches in the 2026 campaign.
That said, hosting the rival Kansas City Chiefs, going to the New England Patriots, hosting the Buffalo Bills and finishing at home with the Los Angeles Rams is a bit of a disaster of a segment for the silver and black. While there is no telling what Patrick Mahomes will look like early in the season, being a rivalry game will ensure that there is an added bit of motivation to win.
The rest of the teams in that 4-game gauntlet were playoff teams in 2025 that won at least one postseason matchup. While the Raiders improved this offseason, the team did hold the top pick in the draft for a reason.
In addition, there is an added bit of confusion for Las Vegas in the form of a quarterback competition. No one knows who is going to start the year off as the signal-caller. Going up against such a hard patch so early in the campaign could be disastrous.
3. Kansas City Chiefs Weeks 12-15
Renewing a heated playoff rivalry on a short week on Thanksgiving against the Buffalo Bills, heading out west for a date with the Los Angeles Rams, and going to the Cincinnati Bengals before a home game with the 2025 AFC Championship-winning New England Patriots is not something the Chiefs love to see.
The worst part about this segment of Kansas City’s schedule is that there is a rare 3-game road trip to start it out with. That on its own is an awful bit of luck. What makes it worse is that it is against a trio of threats who aim to be in the playoff picture late in the season.
Then you host the team who represented the AFC conference in the final game of the season last year. Not to mention the New England Patriots improved during the offseason. This is a brutal patch for the Chiefs to go through in 2026.
2. Los Angeles Chargers Weeks 3-6
Going to Buffalo, then the Seattle Seahawks before hosting your 2025 division-winning Denver Broncos and wrapping up this portion of the schedule by going to Kansas City is not favorable by any means for the Chargers.
Much like the Chiefs, Los Angeles is staring at a trio of road games during this stretch. However, not all of those matchups are in a row. That said, a pair of divisional games, in a row, no less, is a difficult way to end it.
Not to mention there are road dates in some of the rowdiest stadiums in the league, including the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks.
1. Denver Broncos Weeks 3-6
Playing host to the new and improved Los Angeles Rams, heading to San Francisco and the division rival Chargers, before finishing on a short week at home against the Seattle Seahawks is the hardest portion of any schedule in the AFC West.
The Chargers matchup will always be difficult, considering it is a divisional matchup. However, staring down the gauntlet that is the triple threat of the NFC West on either side of that game will make this a nightmare for Denver. Much worse is that the Broncos face Seattle on a Thursday, meaning that there is no rest for the weary after a divisional battle with the Chargers.
All in all, it could be worse for the Broncos. At least they have a pair of home games in this brutal 4-game stretch.