A capsule look at the AFC West heading into the 2026 season, with teams listed in predicted order of finish.
Denver Broncos
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 9.5
Strengths: The offensive line will feature the same five starters for a third straight season is one of the better units in the league. John Franklin-Myers is in Nashville, but the talent and depth up on defense remains elite as well. If the pass rush doesn’t get home, Pat Surtain II is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate and leads a strong secondary. Adding Jaylen Waddle gives Bo Nix a true No. 1 target and the group behind the ex-Dolphins wideout is deep and versatile.
Weaknesses: What will be the resolution after Jonathon Cooper was arrested twice in early July amid domestic violence allegations? Will Nix’s surgically repaired ankle hold up? The running backs might be just be solid, even as Sean Payton and Co. continue to say the Broncos want to run the ball more.
Kansas City Chiefs
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 15-1; Over-under win total: 10.5
Strengths: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are all getting older — the latter two in particular — but remain elite players to anchor another season when the expectations will be Super Bowl or bust. Mahomes is coming back from a major knee injury that was the final blow in a season that had already gone off the rails. Kenneth Walker III, fresh off Super Bowl MVP honors, could help the running game provide a little more balance.
Weaknesses: Is the supporting cast around Kansas City’s ‘Big Three’ good enough? Rashee Rice spent part of his injury rehab in jail this offseason, and the pass catchers in general look pretty underwhelming beyond Kelce. The interior of the offensive line should be solid, but the tackles are a question mark, and Chiefs fans will be holding their breath the first time Nik Bonitto gets around the edge on opening night.
Los Angeles Chargers
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 17-1; Over-under win total: 10.5
Strengths: Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are one of the best 1-2 punches at offensive tackle in the league, but both are coming off season-ending injuries. The line should be a strength, and the running back duo of Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal should get plenty of work. The defense, led by do-it-all safety Derwin James and breakout pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, should again be among the top 10 in just about everything. Justin Herbert can make every throw and often looks like one of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL …
Weaknesses: … but Herbert is also 0-3 in the playoffs in six seasons as the starter, and the offense has been uncompetitive in wild-card losses the past two years. The Keenan Allen return season went pretty well with 81 catches, but he’s gone, and the depth chart behind Ladd McConkey has intriguing options but could also be a group that looks one quality option short. The Chargers went 3-0 against the Broncos and Chiefs in games they were trying to win before the season finale, but one of these teams is going to have to end up in third place in this division.
Las Vegas Raiders
BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 150-1; Over-under win total: 5.5
Strengths: Brock Bowers is a rock star at tight end. Ashton Jeanty could certainly still be a franchise running back as the rest of the pieces around him and Bowers get upgraded. That starts with the two biggest additions of the offseason — No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is the franchise quarterback-in-waiting and free agent Tyler Linderbaum at center to anchor a work-in-progress offensive line. Maxx Crosby is also here, still, after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through.
Weaknesses: The Raiders had the No. 1 pick for a reason. There are a bunch of new faces on defense, which was necessary. The rest of the offensive line could still be pretty bad. That alone might be enough reason to let Kirk Cousins start over Mendoza to begin the year. The pass-catching options beyond Bowers are among the worst in the league. Considering the other teams that could be vying for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft could all be interested in quarterbacks, Jeremiah Smith or Cam Coleman might be checking out real estate listings in Sin City next summer.
