The AFC West saw four incredibly entertaining games on Sunday afternoon. The four games that saw AFC West action were decided by a total of 18 points, with a game-winning field goal, a game-losing two-point conversion attempt, and a pair of barn burners that ended with seven-point differences. After a week of blowouts in Week 8, this week did not disappoint.
The Broncos and Chargers were the only two teams in the division to walk away with wins in Week 9. Denver needed another fourth-quarter comeback to knock off the Texans, moving to an absurd 4-0 this year when trailing entering the fourth quarter. As for Los Angeles, they struggled with the woeful Titans and their former head coach, Mike McCoy. Despite that, they still picked up the win and, once again, moved ahead of the Chiefs for sole possession of second place in the division.
Patrick Mahomes moved to 1-5 all-time against Josh Allen in the regular season, but the game was not played as closely as the score would indicate. The former two-time MVP did not throw a touchdown and was picked off, looking far shakier than usual. As for the Raiders, their bid to beat a free-falling Jacksonville team ended on a failed two-point attempt in overtime. Despite the loss, they looked much better than usual.
AFC West Power Rankings, Week 10: Broncos remain on top, Chiefs and Chargers swap
4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
The Raiders put up a good effort against the Jaguars, but it simply was not enough. The return of Brock Bowers makes them a much more difficult matchup against Denver on a short week, but they're yet to turn in a complete game this season. Geno Smith was only picked once on Sunday, but Ashton Jeanty averaged 3.2 yards per carry on 13 carries. This team is still a mess with no reasonable upside. It's mock draft season in Las Vegas. They travel to Denver for Thursday Night Football.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
The Chiefs were flying high after the return of Rashee Rice and two straight convincing wins over the Raiders and Commanders. Once they played real competition, however, things changed. Not much went right for Kansas City against the Bills, but they still managed to keep the final score close. The game felt much more like the 28-13 contest it was entering the fourth quarter than the 28-21 final score. They'll have the bye week this week to prepare for their first matchup with Denver in two weeks.
2. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
This week was the perfect example of "a win is a win" for the Chargers. The Titans scored 20 points for just the third time this year, they picked Herbert off, sacked him six times, and still did not win. The Chargers will take any road wins they can get, but this one was far closer than they would have liked. Once again, Herbert led them in rushing. If they want to make an impact in the 2025 AFC playoffs, they'll need to figure out their running back situation, which might be football's worst. They host the Steelers next week on Sunday Night Football.
1. Denver Broncos (7-2)
The Broncos are unquestionably the comeback kids of the 2025 season. Will Lutz nailed a second game-winning field goal of the 2025 season, this one on the road. Bo Nix struggled early again, but righted the ship and was instrumental in the fourth-quarter comeback, as was JK Dobbins. They host the Raiders on a short week and need to ensure they aren't falling victim to an old-fashioned trap game with the Chiefs looming afterward.