Week 12 will end up being the quietest week of the season in the AFC West. The Broncos and Chargers enjoyed their bye weeks as both prepare for their final playoff pushes, leaving just the Chiefs and Raiders in action on Sunday. Kansas City hosted the Colts in what was the biggest game of the week, while the Raiders played the Browns in probably the least important game of 2025.
The Broncos and Chargers are the division's biggest winners of Week 12, mostly because both teams needed this week off in the biggest way. For the Broncos, they need their defensive unit to heal and regain its health. Pat Surtain and Alex Singleton have missed multiple games between the two of them, and their importance to Vance Joseph's system can't be understated.
For the Chargers, it gets them one week closer to the return of Omarion Hampton. The team is down their top-three running backs, but Hampton is the only one close to a return. Each week they don't play is, hopefully, a week healthier for the Chargers, and nothing derailed their early-season success more than injuries. As I said in last week's rankings, this team looks very different from the one that beat the Broncos.
AFC West Power Rankings, Week 13: Broncos enter Week 13 atop again, this time with a considerable lead within the division entering December
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders lost to Shedeur Sanders and the Browns on Sunday, marking a new low for the season. They are in line to hold a top-five pick in next spring's NFL Draft, but unfortunately, they still have over a month's worth of games left. The priority for the rest of the way should be focused on youth and keeping the few stars they have healthy.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs needed a win in the worst way this week and needed overtime to pull it out. They moved to 6-5 with their win over the Colts, keeping pace with the rest of the AFC wild-card picture. Their matchup next week in Dallas got more interesting after the Cowboys' win over the Eagles. They'll start Week 13 in the 10th seed.
2. Las Angeles Chargers
At 7-4, the Chargers seem primed for another AFC playoff appearance, but also another year in second place. Their schedule coming out of the bye is rather difficult, with the Eagles and Chiefs waiting in weeks 14 and 15, respectively. The Chargers need to get healthy fast, or risk another early playoff exit. Their margin for error within the division has dropped to effectively zero.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos' week off was much deserved and gives them a chance to get starting defenders back in the fold. Beyond the obvious defensive names currently out, it'll be important to watch the health updates around Ben Powers in the coming weeks. His initial injury prognosis came with an absence of at least two months, but those two months are up around the time of Week 14. His health is a major wild card for Sean Payton's team.