With just five weeks left in the NFL season, time is running out for playoff contenders to make their final push heading into the new year. In the AFC West, three teams were in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt heading into Thanksgiving week. The Broncos led the pack at 9-2, with the Chargers and then Chiefs trailing them in that order.
For the Broncos, they came off the bye in the nation's capital and might have secured their biggest victory of the week simply by having Pat Surtain back on the field. Overall, the Broncos returned three key defenders from injury, with Alex Singleton and Jonah Elliss also back on the field. The key for the Broncos down the stretch is going to be health, and their midweek reports were incredibly welcome sights.
The Los Angeles Chargers have been one of the more perplexing teams in all of football this season. They're without a true starting running back, and are 4-4 after starting 0-3. Their final stretch of the season figures to be a gauntlet, with the Broncos, Chiefs, Texans, Cowboys, and Eagles making up five of their final six games. A 3-3 stretch with a loss to the Chiefs could be enough to keep them out of the playoffs.
AFC West Power Rankings, Week 14: Broncos enter Week 14 on top, Chiefs continue to stay behind Los Angeles
Behind them, the Chiefs took on a suddenly hot Dallas Cowboys team on national television and suffered the same fate that many teams trying to cover George Pickens have felt this year. They now get a mini-bye to regroup before facing the also suddenly hot Houston Texans with a returning CJ Stroud. As for the Raiders... at least Chip Kelly is out.
4) Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
The Raiders fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, one of football's most respected offensive minds, just 11 games after agreeing to pay him $6 million, the most of any coordinator in football and more than some head coaches. If that doesn't sum up the 2025 Raiders, I'm not sure what else does. Maybe the fact that Kelly was messing up his own play calls?
Raiders fans were better off watching Ty Simpson in the Iron Bowl than they were watching their own team in Los Angeles. The Raiders enter Week 14 with the fourth overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, but is that enough to land the quarterback who will change their franchise? They host the Broncos in Week 14.
3) Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
The Chiefs played in the rare "must-win for both teams" games, and they did not win. Patrick Mahomes had a few moments that made him look like he was 25 again, but the defense did not do enough to slow down the Dallas passing game. The Chiefs now sit at 6-6, and The Athletic's Playoff Simulator gives them just a 43% chance to make the playoffs.
They can't afford to lose more than one more game this year. Could the dynasty finally be falling, or is this a one-off bad year? If nothing else, Travis Kelce has pretty publicly contemplated retirement, and simply talking about it is enough validation that he is truly considering it.
2) Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
The return of their rookie running back, Omarion Hampton, appears imminent, and the Chargers badly need a boost to their running back group, which Kimani Vidal currently leads. Los Angeles is ravaged by injuries, but might have suffered the biggest of their season on Sunday as Justin Herbert broke his hand. There is currently no true sense of whether he will miss time or not, per Jim Harbaugh. If he is to miss time, the Chargers will turn to Trey Lance against, at least, the Eagles.
1) Denver Broncos (10-2)
At 9-2, the Broncos are almost this year's version of the 2024 Commanders. For at least one night, the 2025 Commanders showed serious flashes of their 2024 form. As for the Broncos, they are at their healthiest in some time, and we all know that health can make or break a team's playoff and title aspirations. Returning two healthy defenders was huge, let alone their All-Pro corner and a team captain. Sean Payton's team heads to Las Vegas for Week 14 looking for a cleaner defensive performance than what they turned in against Marcus Mariota.