49ers vs The AFC West: Critical Essentials

49ers vs Los Angeles Chargers — 11-6, Lost In Wild Card Round

Key Additions:

David Njoku, TE — Browns Mike McDaniel, OC — Dolphins

Key Departures:

Zion Johnson, G — Browns

The Chargers enter 2026 with high hopes after another disappointing playoff exit. Justin Herbert has been a really good regular‑season quarterback, but the postseason results haven’t matched. It’s not all on him — the offensive line struggled last season, which we all saw in that game against the Patriots.

Mike McDaniel takes over as offensive coordinator, and that’s going to be interesting. At times, he had the Dolphins offense rolling until injuries derailed them. The Chargers are one of those teams that could become a contender if they truly fixed the offensive line.

49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs — 6-11, Missed Playoffs

Key Additions:

Kenneth Walker III, RB — Seahawks Justin Fields, QB — Jets

Key Departures:

Trent McDuffie, CB — Rams Jaylen Watson, CB — Rams

The Chiefs had a forgettable 2025 season that started ugly and ended ugly. Patrick Mahomes blowing out his knee was insult to injury, but that’s how the NFL goes. Looking ahead, Kansas City added Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to take over at running back and Justin Fields as insurance behind Mahomes.

The biggest question is obvious: How does Mahomes look coming off the injury? And how long until Chris Collinsworth can get back to gushing over him?

The second question is the secondary. With aging stars and a bunch of unknowns, the Chiefs may be facing an uphill battle this season.

49ers vs Las Vegas Raiders —3-13, Held the No. 1 Pick

Key Additions:

Tyler Linderbaum, C — Ravens

Kirk Cousins, QB — Falcons

Fernando Mendoza, QB — No. 1 Overall Pick (Indiana)

Klint Kubiak, HC — Seahawks

Spencer Burford, G — 49ers

Key Departures:

(None major)

The Raiders kick off the Klint Kubiak era with a young, sneaky‑good roster coming off the short‑lived Pete Carroll experiment. The future looks promising, but this season could go in a lot of different directions — which honestly feels like classic Raiders football.

Kirk Cousins enters the season as the starter and bridge until No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is ready. With upgrades to the offensive line, Year 2 Ashton Jeanty should be exciting, and Brock Bowers should have another solid season.

The Raiders aren’t built to win now, but in a season or two they could be fighting for the AFC West crown. This year feels like a house‑money season.

End Of 49ers vs The AFC West Rant

When the 49ers play the AFC West this season, the only team that really worries me is the Denver Broncos because of how balanced they are on both sides of the ball. The Chargers are talented, but I’m not sure they fixed all their issues from last season. The Chiefs feel like they’re in limbo — they could bounce back to the Mahomes‑era standard or slide into a reset. And the Raiders are that team that could spoil things for everyone because they have nowhere to go but up.

We won’t know how any of this plays out until the season starts, but based on the offseason moves, the AFC West matchups should be fun to watch.