After three weeks of play, the state of the AFC West is not much clearer than it was before. The Broncos blew a late, two-score lead to the Chargers, who are now 3-0 within the division. For Denver, it was their second-straight blown lead that ultimately cost them the game.
As for the Chargers, they now sit at 3-0 and are easily the class of the division. They sit two games ahead of the Broncos and Chiefs, and will own at least a split of the season series with both. As for the Raiders, not even a backup quarterback in Washington to bring them somewhat close to a solid road victory. The Chiefs barely held on against an awful Giants team for their first win, showing just how mortal they are.
The West, if anything, has shown that it will be a long season within the division. With just three games through in the young season, let's take a look at how the AFC West shakes up so far.
AFC West power rankings following Broncos' Week 3 loss
1) The Los Angeles Chargers, 3-0
At 3-0 and two games clear of the rest of the pack, the 2025 AFC West crown could be the Chargers' to lose. The Chargers came from the grave to beat the Broncos 23-20, highlighting their domination over Denver the last two years. LA has come back to beat Denver twice now, with a full-on drubbing of the Broncos before that. In total, LA is 3-0 against the Broncos since Jim Harbaugh took over. The division is well within their grasp already.
2) Denver Broncos, 1-2
The Broncos could somewhat easily be 3-0, but instead the team sits at a disappointing 1-2 with more questions than answers heading into a now must-win Week 4. Denver, once again, was the better team for 50 minutes, but their sloppy play in the final ten cost them another win. If Denver has playoff aspirations, it needs to stop piling up the penalties during putaway drives. This 1-2 team probably should be undefeated. A Week 4 loss could cause a ton of issues in Denver.
3) Kansas City Chiefs, 1-2
Against a team that just had 40+ points hung on them by the Dallas Cowboys, who got housed by the Chicago Bears this past week, the Chiefs managed just 22 points, nine of which came on field goals. Somehow, they made it look easier to beat Russell Wilson three years ago than they did last night. The Chiefs will host Baltimore this week, a game that almost certainly will see them as home underdogs for the first time in quite a while. I wonder how much they miss Tyreek Hill?
4) Las Vegas Raiders, 1-2
The Raiders are once again a mess, and it is fair to assume there ins't much of an avenue for immediate improvement in 2025. The talent is there in some cases, but the overall football team is not. Las Vegas gave up 41 points to a Marcus Mariota led Commanders team, allowing at least 200 yards both on the ground and in the air. Even when scoring 24 points, they were blown out. With the Bears and Colts on their schedule next, 1-4 isn't out of the picture.