It’s been a great week to be a Broncos fan. Not only did Denver knock off the unbeaten Super Bowl champions, but every other team in the division lost. With a soft schedule ahead, the Broncos are primed to make a run and seize the AFC West throne.
Currently, the Broncos sit alongside the Chargers at 3-2, but the Chargers hold the tiebreaker advantage from their last-minute victory over Denver in Week 3. The Chiefs have fallen to 2-3, and the Raiders are dwelling in the basement with a 1-4 record.
The division was supposed to be among the toughest in the NFL, boasting one of the strongest stables of coaches the league has ever seen. After five weeks, the Broncos are getting hot while their rivals are stumbling over themselves.
AFC West rivals stumbling as Broncos surge heading into Week 6
It looked like the Chiefs were on the verge of creating a three-way tie at the top of the AFC West — but Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars overcame Patrick Mahomes and the refs to secure a statement victory on Monday Night Football. In a moment that’s now gone viral, Chiefs defensive star Chris Jones made no attempt to tackle Trevor on the final touchdown. In fairness to Kansas City, this was the only close game of the three, but the self-inflicted mistakes bode well for the Broncos as the Chiefs look vulnerable and out of tune.
The Chargers looked like the best team in the West after beating the Broncos in Week 3 and jumping out to a 3-0 record atop the division. Now, they’re 3-2 after back-to-back losses. This weekend against the Commanders, the Chargers scored the first ten points of the game but were held scoreless afterward. Washington put up 27 unanswered points as the Chargers’ offense sputtered. Their ground game was stifled, Herbert only threw for 166 yards, got sacked multiple times, and tossed a pick. The Chargers may hold the tiebreaker, but they no longer look like the best team in the division.
And then there’s the Raiders. No one expected them to be this bad — and as rough as the team has been, the quarterback play from Geno Smith has been the worst part. Vegas was outclassed across the board. The Colts annihilated them 40-6 in an absolute blowout. They’re dealing with injuries, but it looks like they have much bigger problems than anyone realized. In this division, the Raiders have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning anything. They look better suited to compete for the number one overall pick after four straight losses.
There’s still a lot of football ahead, but the Broncos could go on a run here with a favorable schedule. With the rest of the AFC West floundering, it’s prime time for Denver to make a legendary run for a Super Bowl — starting with securing the division crown.