With six weeks of NFL football behind us sans the Monday Night Football matchups, the landscape of the NFL appears to be more different than many believed. With the likes of the Ravens sitting at 1-5 while the Colts sit at 5-1, the guard of the NFL has completely changed from last year. The AFC West is no exception, with the Chiefs sitting at 3-3 and one game behind the current leaders of the AFC West: Denver and Los Angeles.
Both the Broncos and Chargers are 4-2 with a record tie at the top of the division. Neither team played its best football on Sunday, and very much needed a few breaks to escape with a win. As for the Chiefs, they handled the Lions fairly easily on Sunday Night Football to get back to .500. The Raiders defeated the Titans at home on Sunday, but still left much to be desired, especially after another Geno Smith interception.
Week 6 figures to be an interesting and important one in the AFC West. The Broncos host a Giants team that is a week removed from beating the Eagles fairly easily, but is also two weeks removed from looking horrendous in New Orleans. The Chargers are set for a seismic faceoff with the Colts in Los Angeles. The Chiefs and Raiders face off in a divisional matchup at the bottom of the division. Let's look at where the AFC West stands heading into Week 7.
NFL Power Rankings: AFC West rankings after Week 6 action
No. 1: Denver Broncos (4-2)
The Broncos escaped London with a 13-11 win over the Jets, showing just how dominating their defensive unit can be. Denver leads the league in sacks, totaling nine against Justin Fields, and Nik Bonitto still leads the league in sacks with eight. If the Broncos' offense can find consistency, this team could be a formidable force. Denver faces a unique test next week with the Giants coming to town following their dominant win over the Eagles.
No. 2: Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
The Chargers led by as much as 13 in Miami, just to end up trailing with as little as ten seconds to go. The Chargers wound up winning thanks to the magic of Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey, but did as much as they could to lose to the Dolphins. The Colts will give the Chargers another huge test during their Week 7 matchup that could have major playoff seeding implications.
No. 3: Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
Following their blown lead in Jacksonville last week, the Chiefs fell back under .500, and entered their game against the Lions a shocking 1.5 games back in the division. They offered a resounding response at home against the Lions, with a dominating victory to move back to 3-3. Kansas City's Week 7 sees them hosting the Raiders for a divisional matchup. With a win, Kansas City would move itself firmly back into a playoff position.
No. 4: Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)
Not much is going right for the Raiders this year. The year began with a Jakobi Meyers trade request, and it hasn't gotten much better since. Geno Smith has been a turnover machine, and he has yet to have a great game as a Raider. Las Vegas ended the first half against the Titans with just 29 total passing yards. Despite that, the Raiders would knock off the Titans 20-10 and pick up their second win on the season. They travel to Kansas City next week.