The AFC West featured three playoff teams back in the 2024 NFL Season, and two in the 2025 campaign. The Denver Broncos actually have the most regular season wins of any AFC West team since the start of the Bo Nix era and are 2/2 in their playoff appearances thus far, advancing deeper this past season.
With the way things are trending, the Broncos could make the Super Bowl in 2026, which would be shocking in the eyes of some, but perhaps not in others. Anyway, the team opens up the season in Arrowhead against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos didn't face the Chiefs in their house until Christmas in 2025, so perhaps an earlier away game could actually be to the Broncos' benefit.
Ahead of Week 1 beginning, let's roll out some last-second record predictions for each AFC West team.
Denver Broncos stand atop the AFC West in final record predictions ahead of Week 1
1. Denver Broncos (12-5)
The Broncos won 14 games last year and won a slew of one-score contests, while also winning 11 in a row after a shaky 1-2 start. While I, and others are still very high on this team for 2026, it's realistic to think that winning 11 games in a row this year isn't in the cards, and perhaps one or two fewer wins is a thing.
Even if the Broncos were to win 12 games in 2026, it would still likely have them in that 'top' tier of teams in the league. Razor-thin margins aren't always present year over year, so a more modest 12-5 season could be where the Broncos ultimately end up.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)
While the Los Angeles Chargers did hire Mike McDaniel as the offensive coordinator, the interior of the offensive line is still a mess, and I don't see a ton of people talking about the Chargers losing defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the Baltimore Ravens.
When you look at the arrivals and departures in 2026, the Chargers feel like the same exact team they have been in both years of the Jim Harbaugh era. With the personnel also largely the same, I am not sure this team will accomplish anything beyond what we have seen in the past two seasons.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-9)
The Chiefs went just 6-8 in Patrick Mahomes' 14 starts last year and are still dealing with some roster shortfalls. There isn't a ton of talent to fall in love with here, as three former starters in the secondary in Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Bryan Cook are gone, and the front office didn't do anything at wide receiver.
While some are predicting a bounce back season for the Chiefs, the roster just isn't good enough - there isn't much high-end talent left, as some of the formerly high-end players in Chris Jones and Travis Kelce are simply getting old, and Mahomes is now coming off a major knee injury, so there isn't any guarantee how he'll perform this year.
Kansas City is clearly in a transitional period, as they actually have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, but in that same breath, many of their current starters or primary backup options also don't have a ton of experience and just aren't proven commodities.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Fernando Mendoza could be an awesome quarterback, but it could take a solid year for that to actually pan out. The Las Vegas Raiders are still clearly in a rebuilding mode and are, comfortably, the worst team in the division right now. Sure, we could be having a slightly different conversation when 2026 is about over, but until Las Vegas sorts out the most important position in sports, losing records will always be a part of this franchise.
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