With the AFC West wrapping up their preseason action, let's dive into one final power rankings ahead of the 2024 regular season.
A division that was once thought of as being the best in the NFL, the AFC West may have just one playoff-caliber team in 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs are the top-dogs in the division until further notice. But there can be some frisky teams like the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers who make life hard.
Let's dive into AFC West power rankings ahead of the 2024 NF
AFC West power rankings: Final rankings ahead of the 2024 NFL Season
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Clearly the worst team in the AFC West and maybe one of the worst teams in football, the Las Vegas Raiders are confused. They overpaid for DT Christian Wilkins in free agency and somehow did not do more at QB. They're slated to start Gardner Minshew in 2024 and also prematurely made Antonio Pierce the permanent head coach.
And oh yeah, they also hired Tom Telesco to be their new General Manager after his failed tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers. I struggle to see the good with this Raiders team for 2024, and their best player on offense, Davante Adams, might just want traded at some point, so this season could be a huge mess for LV.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have a pretty bad roster and no viable backup QB. It might not be all sunshine and roses for Jim Harbaugh in his first year in the NFL since 2014. Some have pegged the Chargers as a breakout team in 2024, but Harbaugh has been out of the league for a decade and is not going to have a great roster at all.
It's clear to me that LA is going to use this year as more of an evaluation year anyway, so I would expect this team to make major changes next offseason. They could end up winning seven or eight games, but the Chargers feel thoroughly average.
2. Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos won eight games in 2023 with a bottom-10 QB and a bottom-5 defense. Why are people so low on this team for 2024? Their biggest change was dumping Russell Wilson for Bo Nix, which I believe will quickly turn into the right decision for the team.
They also improved their defensive line and may have also upgraded their running back and wide receiver rooms. I have maintained all offseason that the Broncos are going to be a lot better than people think. Talks about Denver finishing among the worst teams in the NFL are overblown, as this team is much closer to a Wild Card berth than finishing with one of the three worst records in football.
Have we forgotten that Sean Payton is also their head coach?
1. Kansas City Chiefs
This is a no-brainer. The Kansas City Chiefs are right in the middle of what could turn into the best dynasty in NFL history. Kansas City has one three out of the last five Super Bowls, and they again feel poised to make a deep playoff run.
The Chiefs wide receiver room still feels shaky, and I am not sure their situation at both tackle spots is going to improve in 2024. The team definitely has some flaws, as they also sent stud CB L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans. Kansas City is definitely beatable, and that was apparent in 2023.
However, they not only run the AFC West, but they run the AFC and the NFL at this point. I have projected that the Houston Texans will come away with the Super Bowl in 2024, but would any of us really be surprised if they won three in a row?