The AFC West could still be the best division in football in 2025. How does the division look after Week 1? How many people had the Kansas City Chiefs being the only team to lose in the AFC West in Week 1 on their Bingo card?
I certainly did not, but when you look at the Chiefs' roster and compare it to the Chargers and Broncos, it's hard to see how KC can even hang with either team talent-wise. We could absolutely see the AFC West standings looking a lot different this year.
There are still 16 games to go, so a lot could change, but let's power rank the AFC West following Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season.
AFC West hierarchy following Week 1
4. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots in Week 1, but they are still, comfortably, the worst team in the division. The Patirots are far from a finished product and still might be a lot closer to their 2024 version, so I would not put too much into this Raiders' win. Vegas is going to start dropping the ball against better teams as the season goes on.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
Folks, the Kansas City Chiefs have problems. They are simply missing the top-end talent on either side of the ball and just aren't an explosive team in any way. Patrick Mahomes and the offense can't consistently throw the ball downfield, and the running back room isn't good enough to make up for a lack of downfield passing.
The secondary lacks key talent outside of Trent McDuffie, and the pass-rush feels limp, at best. KC is third in our AFC West power rankings.
2. Denver Broncos (1-0)
The Denver Broncos could have the best defense in the NFL this year, as that unit had a whopping 12 QB hits and six sacks in their Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, and despite playing horribly on offense, Denver still won by eight points. The offense was a work in progress at times in 2024, and it simply might take another week for that unit to get going. However, the Broncos won their first Week 1 game of the Sean Payton era.
1. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
This was a statement win for the LA Chargers, and they are first in our AFC West power rankings. It was a great start to the season, as LA earns a huge divisional win, and Justin Herbert was simply money. It will be interesting to see if LA's lack of high-end talent will catch up with them, but for now, they showed why they're the best team in the division.