The AFC West continues to be an underperforming division, and the leader is separating themselves from the rest of the teams as we progress through 2022. What many called the best division in the history of the NFL has now became just another division.
In fact, only one team in the AFC West currently has a record above .500. Between injuries and overall bad football, the division has greatly underperformed. Outside of the Chiefs, who are good yet again, the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos are all enduring perhaps their worse case scenario seasons.
AFC West standings heading into week 12
1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-2)
The 8-2 Chiefs are good again. They look no worse without Tyreek Hill and are rumbling through their opponents. They’ve all but wrapped up the division title for the 419th year in a row. Patrick Mahomes is playing at an MVP level and their defense does just enough to keep the offense in it.
The Chiefs are now concerned with seeing if they can wrap up the first overall seed in the AFC and earn themselves a bye week for the playoffs.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (5-5)
The 5-5 Los Angeles Chargers were the Super Bowl champions of the offseason. The moves they made on defense especially indicated to many that they should become true contenders. Well, because of injuries and bad coaching, the Chargers are irrelevant yet again.
Justin Herbert is a superstar quarterback who will likely sign a massive contract extension this offseason. Brandon Staley, their head coach, may be one of multiple head coaches fired from the AFC West this coming offseason.
3. Las Vegas Raiders (3-7)
One thing is clear: Josh McDaniels is only a good head coach when he gets to play the Broncos. Two of his three wins this year come against Denver. Outside of that, he and his Raiders squad are a total disaster.
Their defense cannot stop a nosebleed unless that nosebleed is named “Denver Broncos” and Derek Carr’s long-term viability as a Raider is in question.
4. Denver Broncos (3-7)
If you had to pick two teams that have underperformed the most this year, you’d likely say the Raiders and the Denver Broncos. Besides being historically injured, the team also hired a historically bad head coach.
If Nathaniel Hackett is fired before the end of this year, he’ll be just the fifth head coach since the 1970 merger to not make it out of his first year. I do not think people are fully grasping just how bad of a head coach he is.
He’s not just bad, but historically bad. Like, all time type bad. The AFC West is a total mess for the most part.