The Kansas City Chiefs surely not winning the AFC West this year, and it's now looking quite hard for this team to get into the playoffs. It's been a season to forget for KC, and while this team has a ton of issues, the main issue that has seen this club regress is simply a lack of talent.
The roster, to keep it blunt, is bad. It's a bad roster filled with average players who are best suited in rotational, '1B' type of roles. GM Brett Veach has not done a good job lately, and it seems like the steaam is beginning to dwindle.
Let's power rank the AFC West following another embarrassing Chiefs' loss.
AFC West power rankings following Chiefs' collapse on Thanksgiving
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are pathetically bad and have fired two coordinators already. It's been another year to forget, and I am not even sure head coach Pete Carroll makes it to 2026. This team has done just about nothing right this year and have made a series of awful moves for years now. Vegas is clearly the worst in the AFC West.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are now 6-6 on the season after a horrendous loss to the Dallas Cowboys. On paper, this roster is painfully average, and the shortcomings of GM Brett Veach have been exposed this year. It's not even a guarantee that the Chiefs make the playoffs this year if they win out, as they surely do not control their own destiny.
This team is also turning into one of the worst in the NFL in one-score games after being among the best in 2024. At the end of the day, the players on this roster just aren't very good.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The LA Chargers are banged-up this year, but they take a solid no. 2 spot in our AFC West rankings, as they are simply better than the Raiders and Chiefs. LA clearly isn't a Super Bowl team this year and is the definition of a Wild Card team. They are good, but far from great. The roster isn't special, and the depth is below-average. With how crowded the AFC is, it's really not even a guarantee that they get into the playoffs.
1. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are riding an eight-game win streak and are against the Washington Commanders in Week 13. Denver sits at 9-2 on the season and could get to four full games ahead of the Chiefs with a win on Sunday Night Football. Denver is one of the more balanced teams in the NFL and clearly have an elite roster. The pass-rush is on pace to be the best ever, and second-year QB Bo Nix might be the most clutch QB in the NFL this year.