The AFC West, through four weeks, isn’t exactly as tough as a division as many thought. Where do the Denver Broncos stand after four weeks? Since it’s so early in the season, most divisions aren’t separated by more than a game or two. In the AFC West, that is indeed the case.
All four teams are separated by no more than two games in the win column, and when more divisional games happen, we’ll begin to see a clearer picture of who can come out victorious. Denver plays on Thursday night against Indianapolis. They have an excellent chance to get themselves back in the win column, and they’ve got a vulnerable team to try and do it with.
AFC West standings after week four
1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
The Chiefs have picked up right where they’ve left off for the past several seasons. Many thought that the team might take a step back without Tyreek Hill, but in fact, they look just as good. They’ve scored 129 points through four games, which is over 30 per contest.
They are allowing 24 points per game, which is a bit high. However, none of the other teams in the division have shown much consistency at all, and it does look like the Chiefs are screaming towards another AFC West title.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)
The Chargers are 2-2 and have been stung by the injury bug early in the season. Many of their best players have gotten banged up. Rashawn Slater, their left tackle, is gone for the season, and Joey Bosa is set to miss 8-10 weeks with an injury of his own.
The defense, which was supposed to be great, is allowing 27 points per game, while their offense is scoring just 23 points per contest. It’s precisely the opposite of what many thought the Chargers would be. The free agency champions are slowly morphing into irrelevancy again.
3. Denver Broncos (2-2)
If nothing else, the Denver Broncos have arguably the best defense in football. They have allowed just 68 points this season, which is 17 per game. However, they have only scored 66 points this season, which is 16.5 points per game.
What is clearly the most frustrating part about this team is that the defense is doing their job, and the offense under Russell Wilson just hasn’t gotten it done. Many will blame Nathaniel Hackett. Many will blame Russell Wilson. Whoever you want to blame is fine, but it’s clearly the O that is the “X” of this team.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (1-3)
Even with their win against the Broncos last Sunday, the Raiders are 1-3, two games out of .500 and the last place team in the division. Sure, the loss by the Broncos is frustrating, but the Raiders still have massive issues of their own.
Josh McDaniels‘ second go-round as head coach has not gotten off to a great start. Their offense has been fine, but Derek Carr hasn’t been great through the air and their defense is giving up 25 points per contest. They’ve lost both of their away games so far and do have the worst quarterback and roster in the AFC West.