With the Kansas City Chiefs resting this weekend thanks to their Bye Week, the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Denver Broncos could define their relevance. At 4-0, the Chiefs sit atop the AFC West and could significantly increase their grip on the division with two matchups over the next four weeks that could make their lead insurmountable.
A week from Sunday, the Chiefs begin an important stretch. At 4-0 atop the AFC West, their 30-27 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders was their most significant win of the year. Yes, they defeated the Broncos on opening night, but the Raiders were undefeated and playing outstanding football.
They went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs and nearly pulled off the upset. One thing is certain: the Raiders are back, and the mistake-laden team we’ve seen in the past that crumbles to turnovers and penalties has found discipline and a system under new head coach Klint Kubiak to believe they could be a playoff team.
With a muddled AFC, I like their chances. However, they face a schedule challenge the next several weeks, and if they can somehow go 2-1 against the New England Patriots on the road and the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams at home, that would build confidence. Still, beginning with the Chiefs, that’s four straight games against playoff teams.
I won’t talk about the gauntlet that awaits them after these games, but let’s say the Raiders, if they can keep winning, will have earned my respect – especially if quarterback Kirk Cousins keeps balling out.
That can’t be said for the Los Angeles Chargers. Once again, the preseason prognosticators all agreed the Chargers would finish atop the AFC West, and now they are 0-4, lifeless, riddled with injuries on both sides of the ball, and could begin the year 0-9.
The only constant with the Chargers has been quarterback Justin Herbert, who’s talented, but this season he’s proven my theory: since he made his NFL debut against the Chiefs in 2020, he can’t put his team on his back and carry them to meaningful wins. He’s not Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen.
The Chargers haven’t looked good in any game they’ve played so far; their losses include home games against the Arizona Cardinals and Raiders, and road games at Buffalo and Seattle. They could easily be 2-2, but mistakes and turnovers have unraveled their season.
On Sunday, they host the Denver Broncos, who sit 2-2; more on them in a minute, in what amounts to a must-win, save-the-season kind of game. Head Coach John Harbaugh is one of my favorite coaches in the game today, but he’s so invested in Herbert that he can’t see what everyone else sees; he’s just not good enough.
Projecting back-to-back AFC West losses to Denver and Kansas City in their annual Arrowhead visit, this team could start trading assets and committing to a rebuild. That would be a shame, but it’s reality. The addition of former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t changed the offense – in fact, it’s the worst it’s ever been- and spells doom for the franchise.
If they somehow win at home Sunday, they could get on a roll, but then they’d face the Chiefs a week later, coming off their bye week, and we all know who generally wins those games when Kansas City has two weeks to prepare for an opponent.
The Denver Broncos also have their backs to the wall. At 2-2, they face a daunting task with an equally brutal schedule ahead of them to remain in contention in the division. Quarterback Bo Nix has been decent, but he hasn’t played like he did last season when Denver reached the AFC title game.
Quarterbacks coach David Webb was promoted to offensive coordinator in the offseason, largely to keep him from taking the Las Vegas Head Coaching job, which meant Head Coach Sean Payton would sit on the sideline. Now, he’s reneging on the promise he made to Webb, and the organization has to back him.
Payton will resume play-calling duties from here on out, but will that suddenly make the Broncos a world beater on offense? That remains to be seen, but it’s his team, and he should have never allowed Webb to assume this position.
How the two men work together in the future will be fascinating to watch, but it’s clear Peyton didn’t have a choice. Still, this is a huge game for his team, and depending on how the Chargers treat this game with their season on the line, the Broncos, who are 0-2 this season on the road, better find that 2025 magic.
Regardless of how the rest of the division plays this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs are still the team to beat. Still, they have their schedule challenges as well. After hosting the Chargers next Sunday, they have back-to-back road games in Seattle and Denver.
So it’s anything but a lock for Kansas City to remain undefeated, and with AFC West battles ahead, this might be the most important stretch of the season in creating breathing room. The good news is the Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers are in catch-up mode, while the Chiefs can set the pace with each victory.
