The 2024 NFL regular season is soon approaching, so let's power rank all four teams in the AFC West. Where do the Denver Broncos fall? I cannot wait for football to start. I can't take it anymore without football.
Anyway, the AFC West race is a one-horse race until further notice, but who could end up falling into that second slot in the division? At one point during the 2023 NFL Season, the Denver Broncos were just one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the division.
The Broncos sat at 7-6, while the Chiefs were 8-5. Could it be that close again in 2024? Perhaps. Let's dive into AFC West power rankings before the 2024 NFL Season.
NFL power rankings: Where do the Denver Broncos fall in the AFC West?
4. Las Vegas Raiders
An embarrassing offseason from the Las Vegas Raiders has them firmly on the outside looking in. They hired Antonio Pierce to be the full-time head coach, which was not the right move, as Pierce was just a position coach in 2023. The team hired a failed, fired GM in Tom Telesco for the same role, and somehow did not come away with any sort of potential long-term option at QB.
They are seriously going to go into the 2024 NFL Season with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell at QB. That is laughably pathetic. The Raiders are trying to trick people; their roster is quite top-heavy, and outside of Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby, and the overpaid free agent Christian Wilkins, there isn't a lot else to like about this roster.
Their head coach and QB combination might be the worst in the entire NFL, and the Raiders are going to endure quite the tough season, easily earning a top-5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
I do not understand the fascination with the Los Angeles Chargers. Yes, Jim Harbaugh is a very good head coach, but he's not been a head coach in the NFL for a decade, so has the game flown by him? Secondly, is Justin Herbert really as good as some make him out to be? I mean, he entered the league in 2020 as a B+ quarterback, and as he enters his fifth season, he's the same exact passer.
He's got no signature wins, no playoff wins, and just feels like this generations' Kirk Cousins. People get sucked in by how big he is and how strong his arm is, and don't get me wrong, he's a good QB, but he's not elite.
Anyway, the Chargers roster is below-average and lacks depth, but with Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz being in year one of their jobs, that should fix itself with time. I just do not see how the LA Chargers are better than the Denver Broncos for 2024.