The AFC West Preview is next, and we are almost done with all of the divisions. The AFC should be a competitive division this season at least a lot of fans hope so. The bottom two teams in the AFC West had a QB change and Sean Payton is making his return to the sideline with the Broncos. It should be interesting to see if these teams improve or decline in 2023. I would venture to say that this division is already clinched before it starts, but who knows? Anything can happen in the NFL. Keep reading to see how I think the action will shake out in the AFC West.

1: Kansas City Chiefs (13-4)

The reigning Super Bowl champs will likely be the AFC West victors yet again in 2023. I would be surprised if they’re not. As long as Mahomes is leading this team, expect them to be favored. With that being said, I think they are going to be slightly worse this season. If Travis Kelce goes down, they’re not done, but they are significantly worse. The Chiefs lost Orlando Brown, Frank Clark, Andrew Wylie, Juan Thornhill, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman this offseason. While I wouldn't say any of those will make or break them, I do think they were significant glue pieces for their team last season. Did they replace these guys? For the most part, they did. They went out and signed OT Jawaan Taylor from the Jaguars and Charles Omenihu to help on the D-Line. Donovan Smith was also a really good value for the O-Line. As far as targets for Mahomes, they really didn’t do him any favors. They have a lot of unproven talent at WR. Skyy Moore will have to step up this season as well as Kadarius Toney. Their biggest question mark will be defense. While they do have some great defenders, their whole defensive unit seems to be a little weak. They will still likely be a top team in the AFC, so don’t think otherwise. I can never count out this Chiefs team, so don’t expect them to take a dip anytime soon.

Difference Maker: WR, Kadarius Toney

I mentioned him and the unproven receiving core earlier, but Toney is going to have to prove that he can be a Pat Mahomes top receiver. I don’t count Kelce in this discussion even though most would argue that the TE is Mahomes’ top receiver. Toney has shown flashes of being a capable WR, but he is in a prove-it year this season with the Chiefs.

2: Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)

The Chargers always seem a little overrated at the start of the season and end up getting anywhere from 9-11 wins. They honestly may have been the least active team in the offseason as well. I may be looking at it incorrectly, but it appears that they only signed 2 free agents that weren’t on their team last season. Their draft was nothing to brag about either. It seemed like they needed to kind of change things up, but they decided to stay quiet. One thing that they didn’t need to change is their QB. They have their guy. Last season was probably his worst, but it isn't like he had a bad season. 4,739 yards, 25 TDs, 10 INTs. It isn't great, but not terrible. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are still around, and Austin Ekeler is still there, for the time being. That is another thing. Austin Ekeler was roped in with a lot of the other RBs that were not extended. Ekeler has been responsible for a big portion of the offense, but the Chargers decided not to extend him long-term. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with him moving forward. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard rushing season in his career but has been one of the most prolific weapons on offense for the last 4 or 5 seasons. I’d say he would be worth taking a long-term chance on. Despite not willing to sign him long-term, they have a good O-Line surrounding him. They also have a solid defense, but they may be slightly overrated. They have a lot of big names like Joey Bosa, Eric Kendricks, Khalil Mack, and Derwin James, but will they be towards the top of the league? They could, but I wouldn't count on it. I don’t want to give them too many wins, because they really haven’t proven they are worthy of the hype. Some think their coach, Brandon Staley, may be holding them back, but I guess we’ll see if that is the case this season.

Difference Maker: LG, Zion Johnson

It is tough to pick anyone other than the obvious one for the Chargers, but I think I found a good choice. Zion Johnson was a rookie last season and had a decent year for a rookie, but he will look to make a big step forward after his taste at the pro level. The former 1st Rounder should be a great run creator for Austin Ekeler this season.

3: Denver Broncos (8-9)

After last season’s 5-12 disaster, the Broncos will look to be back into the playoff discussion. Sean Payton will certainly add a new perspective to the team and I think that they will improve, but he has been away for a little while. Granted, it was only one season, the shift to a new team isn't going to be as easy of a transition as everyone thinks. Russell Wilson seems to be heading towards infamous territory with his monster deal and poor performance. We’ll see if he improves this season, but I don’t expect him to get much better. The Broncos have had some issues with the run game as well. Not the fact that they don’t run the ball well, but rather the health of their backfield. Javonte Williams will lead the backfield and while his rookie season was successful and relatively healthy, his second was not. A lot of projections have the Broncos will an above average O-Line, but I guess we’ll see about that this season. They did add Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers to bolster that O-Line. Both guys are making bank too. Despite finishing 5-12, the Broncos did have a top-half defense. They should be yet again. With all of that being said. They will be better. I am not denying that. However, I don’t think they are ready to get over the hump. The Chiefs and Chargers are still better teams, in my opinion. You could argue that they could overtake the Chargers, but I can't make that argument for the Chiefs.

Difference Maker: DE, Zach Allen

The Broncos added some big pieces to both sides of the ball, but Zach Allen was a big get for them. He has spent the last 4 seasons in Arizona. Allen hasn’t logged a fully healthy season yet in his career, but he has consistently improved each season. I think he will be a great addition to the Denver D-Line and he should fill the void of losing Dre’Mont Jones to the Seahawks.

4: Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)

It is difficult to get a grasp on the Raiders for this season. They let go of Derek Carr but added Jimmy G to lead their offense. Will they take a step back this season? I think they will, but I think they could be a spoiler for some of the teams that they play. They still have Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams, who are both coming off of tremendously productive seasons, to count on, so all will not be lost, however, it doesn’t look great for Vegas this year. The Defense is expected to be one of the worst in the league and the O-Line is seemingly going to be below average as well. There are weapons here, but they need a chance to break free and the defense needs to be solid for them to succeed, especially in a tough AFC West. Jimmy G was the biggest addition to the Raiders, but they added some pieces to their secondary that could be interesting. Marcus Epps and Marcus Peters are two big names that were added to the team. Both guys should impact the defense tremendously. There really isn't a lot to say about the Raiders this season. I don’t think they will be particularly good.

Difference Maker: WR, Jakobi Meyers

Meyers signed with the Raiders after spending the last 4 seasons with the Patriots. I think he can really break out this season. He is already a veteran of the sport and having Davante Adams lining opposite of him can give him more opportunities to be a big difference maker for the offense. While at one point he had Tom Brady throwing to him, he has a better QB throwing to him this season than he did in his last 3 seasons. Look for Meyers to have a slight uptick in numbers with the Raiders.

Yacs

2023 AFC West Preview