Three-Peat on the Horizon? (AFC West Preview)

Ah, the AFC West, aka Patrick Mahomes' torture chamber. I joke, but honestly, if the rest of the division had any gumption, I wouldn't call it that. In all seriousness, while the AFC West now appears to resemble what the AFC East was when Brady was with the Patriots, there is potential in all four teams. We saw some real big time tension in the final weeks of the division, which tells me that the AFC West can be interesting when it wants to be.

The other three teams have the same objective: take down the Chiefs. Will they? Well, let's look at the facts entering the 2024 season.

Los Angeles Chargers (5-12)

You know, when the Los Angeles Chargers finally fired Brandon Staley as their head coach, a weight was lifted off their shoulders. Granted, it shouldn't have taken giving up 63 points to a team who lost 3-0 just four days prior for this to happen, but it was finally done. Then, the Bolts hired Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach. That's a big get. Just came off a National Championship season at his alma mater, and he has a good NFL résumé, which includes coaching in Super Bowl XLVII (off-topic, speaking of SB47, RIP Jacoby Jones, whose 108-yard kickoff return for a TD remains the stuff of legends).

So I figured that the Chargers would be a force in the AFC. One thing, though. Ummm...why are you getting rid of everybody?! Keenan Allen...gone. Mike Williams...gone. Austin Ekeler...gone. Three of the most important players on the team are elsewhere now. I don't understand this. The Chargers have a good chance to be a serious threat to Kansas City, they got a big time coach, but they are making him start over from scratch. Oh boy.

Denver Broncos (8-9)

I don't know how to react to the Broncos. On one hand, they're free from the Russell Wilson drama. Well, sort of--they're footing the bill for Russ to throw passes in Pittsburgh. In spite of it, they stayed alive for as long as possible in the playoff race. As for moves, they still have Courtland Sutton, but Jerry Jeudy is not on the team anymore. They drafted a QB in the form of Bo Nix. so...good things for them in 2024?

I honestly hate how irrelevant the Broncos have become. It's reached the point where they are absolutely unwatchable, which is bad for me, because I live in SoCal, meaning I have to watch this team at least twice a year. Will the Broncos get out of this hole they're in? Yes. Will they get out of it now? God, no. Look on the bright side, Denver. You can always switch to the Avalanche and Nuggets once those teams start up.

Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)

The Raiders will always be interesting, whether they're a powerhouse or an outhouse. In the case of 2023, they were still a far cry from the 2021 team that somehow reached the playoffs despite being on the receiving end of every scandal under the sun, but they made things interesting and stayed alive as long as possible. Some more positives: they fired Josh McDaniels during that season, named Antonio Pierce as the interim coach, and then, made it real and official with him. So they learned from their mistakes. Well...one of them.

So, Josh Jacobs is not a Raider anymore, because he got tired of being disrespected by the team. Davante Adams is still a Raider...for now. Aaron Rodgers wants him in New York, and Adams does want out in the biggest case of buyer's remorse I've ever seen. As I said before, the Raiders will always be interesting. Will they be a playoff team again? Well, that depends on what happens with a number of other teams around the AFC. The Raiders may need one or two of them to slip on a few banana peels to nab one of the seven spots.

Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)

What can I say about the Kansas City Chiefs that we don't already know? It's official. They're the NFL's final boss. They have been for a while now. This iteration of the Chiefs has won three Super Bowls in five years, and they are the current back-to-back defending champions. The Chiefs are officially a dynasty. But they can still make history by becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls? Well, if their hideous offseason is any indication, it doesn't look too good.

One player wanting to be Henry Ruggs so badly, another committing animal cruelty, and a kicker who told the world that he hates women and the LGBT community. YIKES. Distractions like that would usually derail championship aspirations, but here's the thing: nothing really derails the Chiefs. Remember: their back-to-back championships came after they got rid of Tyreek Hill, who is still one of the best WRs in the league. It's crazy. The league traded one superpower for another; it's that simple.

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The AFC West, for the last eight years, has been the other three teams vs the Chiefs, and it's escalated ever since the Patrick Mahomes regime started. Despite the fact that it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Chiefs will be on top of the division yet again, it will be quite interesting to see how the AFC West will play out in 2024.