AFC West division preview
2024 predicted order of finish, record
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)
The whole gang’s back together as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid vie to become the first team to three-peat as Super Bowl champions.
Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
New coach Jim Harbaugh might need to go conservative to keep Justin Herbert upright while counting on younger talent to emerge in key roles.
Denver Broncos (6-11)
While making deposits into Russell Wilson’s bank account, the Broncos are loaded with untapped potential and rookie Bo Nix. Denver hopes a 7-4 run to finish last season is a harbinger of success.
Las Vegas Raiders (5-12)
It’s an uphill climb for Antonio Pierce, the interim no more after a 5-4 finish last season. The Raiders have two winning seasons in the last 15 years and No. 3 will have to wait.
–AFC West MVP candidates
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes is just the kind of player that can win the award — and Super Bowl — every season. A full year of receiver growing pains is out of the way and a mature group could mean Mahomes posts his third 5,000-yard passing season and 2x the 26 touchdowns he threw last year.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Jim Harbaugh has a pretty good track record with talented quarterbacks and inherited one in LA. If Herbert — who dealt with a foot injury in the preseason — stays healthy, the Chargers could be a sneaky contender in the AFC.
Rams RB Kyren Williams
As if a 1,114-yard season — average of 5.0 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns and 32 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns — wasn’t Williams will also return punts this season. If the Rams are a playoff team and he’s a force on special teams, Williams will emerge as a dark horse MVP candidate.
–AFC West breakout players
Chiefs LT Kingsley Suamataia
The rookie third-round pick from BYU jumps into the fire as a starter with Wanya Morris injured. Kansas City envisioned Suamataia as a starter eventually, but he’ll get the chance sooner than expected.
Chiefs FB/RB Carson Steele
Listed fourth on the depth chart, Steele has already been featured in Andy Reid’s creative playbook laboratory. The undrafted free agent is more power than highlight-reel athleticism, but KC sees him as a strong complement to its revised stable of backs.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston
A first-round pick in 2023, Johnston acclimated slowly and never became the featured red-zone attraction he was at TCU. But a year with Justin Herbert and a new system built to be run-first stands to highlight Johnston’s massive size and potential.
Broncos LB Nik Bonitto
On 15.5 percent of his pass rushes, Bonitto was the first player to arrive at the quarterback. The next step would be to finish those pressures with more than the 8.0 sacks he recorded last season.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams
A 1,000-yard season is on the horizon for the third-year running back. Until Nix gets comfortable, expect a heavy dose of Williams.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers
The Georgia rookie has the skill set to redefine the tight end position. Collegiately he had a career with 175 receptions, 2,538 yards and 26 touchdown catches. He also had 193 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a running option.
Raiders RB Zamir White
A determined, yards-after contact runner racked up 457 yards on 84 carries with a punishing running style in the final four games of last season when he filled in for Josh Jacobs, who left for Green Bay.
Week 1 outlook
Ravens at Chiefs, Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:20 p.m. ET
As juicy of a matchup as there is Week 1. It’s a rematch of January’s AFC playoff slugfest, won 17-10 by the Chiefs, and could be a prelude to another game in late January of 2025. All the main players, the Swifties and a national TV audience are back. There’s a redemption opportunity for Ravens two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson after the Chiefs’ defense pitched a second-half shutout in Baltimore to seal the playoff win.
Broncos at Seahawks, 1 p.m. ET
For the first time in 14 years, Seattle will open a season without Pete Carroll on the sidelines but does everyone a favor by wearing the Largent-Curt Warner era blue throwbacks. New head coach Mike Macdonald jumped from Ravens defensive coordinator to driver’s seat in Seattle with a 3-4 defense with an exotic blitz scheme to challenge Nix. Geno Smith has a combined 50 touchdowns the last two years for Seattle, but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron moved on to the Chicago Bears. Ryan Grubb will call plays for the Seahawks after a successful stint at the University of Washington.
Chargers at Raiders, 1 p.m. ET
Who’s got it better than the Chargers? We’re about to find out. Vegas was in the bidding and wanted Harbaugh on the sideline, but the Chargers uncharacteristically opened up the coffers and secured the former Michigan coach for five years and a reported $80 million. It’s been 10 years since Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record, two NFC Championship games and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII. Spunky journeyman Gardner Minshew will try to recapture the “Minshew Mania” movement and lead a revival of the Raiders in Las Vegas.
–Field Level Media
