AFC West Power Rankings: Raiders Rise, Chiefs Kingdom Falling?

Let’s take a look at our AFC West power rankings now that the regular season has started. Are the Las Vegas Raiders on the rise while the Kansas City Chiefs are trending downward? We are only a week in, so it is difficult to move much at this point, but some teams are certainly trending in different directions.

4. The Las Vegas Raiders

Trending: Up

The win over New England was pleasing, but it is not enough to pull the Raiders out of the basement. Las Vegas still looked a bit shaky at times, especially on the offensive line. It doesn’t help that the teams above them in the rankings are also doing well. Luckily the Raiders have a chance to prove themselves against one of those teams this coming Monday night.

3. The Denver Broncos

Trending: Up

The Broncos smoked the lowly Titans this past week, as they should. Whenever the league’s best defense encounters a poor offense under the leadership of a rookie quarterback, the result is likely to be unfavorable. However, the offense did look significantly better, particularly in the run game. Denver has the potential to climb higher on this list if they can maintain their progress in that area.

2. The Kansas City Chiefs

Trending: Down

Could this be the beginning of the end of the Chiefs’ reign of dominance? At the very least, they are not the juggernaut of years past. The offensive line woes from last year have continued. Furthermore, the offense is devoid of really any firepower outside of Xavier Worthy, who left Friday night’s loss to the Chargers with an injury. Defensively, Kansas City continues to suffer from a lack of star power in the secondary. A defensive tackle being their best pass rusher does not help either. The Chiefs must quickly resolve their issues to avoid potential setbacks in the upcoming weeks.

1. The Los Angeles Chargers

Trending: Up

Beating the Chiefs in Week 1 is about as much of a statement win as you can get. Even going beyond the final score, the Chargers just looked excellent in general. The defense continues to be solid despite a lack of talent in some spots. However, the most significant development is that the offense is starting to perform well. It is clear that Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman have realized that it is time to lean on Justin Herbert. It’s the right call. The Chargers will have yet another AFC West test in Week 2 against the Raiders on Monday night.