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Chiefs Predicted to Lose AFC West - But Not to Chargers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 11:43 AM ET

The AFC West has been one of the most competitive divisions in football for a number of years now.

Unfortunately, it is often overlooked because the Kansas City Chiefs have been dominating each team in it since Patrick Mahomes became the starter in 2018.

The Chiefs have won the division nine years in a row and most of those seasons, the other three teams weren’t remotely close to winning.

If there ever was a team who could upset them, most people expect it to be the Los Angeles Chargers because of their stout defense and elite quarterback, Justin Herbert.

However, a writer for NFL.com believes someone else in the division will dethrone the Chiefs and it will happen this season.

Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com predicted that the Denver Broncos will win the division for the first time in a decade.

The last time they won the division, they ended up winning the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at the helm, but they just got back to the playoffs for the first time last year.

The playoff run was thanks large in part to rookie quarterback Bo Nix who proved the world wrong and became one of the better signal callers in the league last year.

Combine that with one of the best defenses in football and Denver has a chance to be a serious player in the AFC for years to come.

The Broncos already play the Chiefs extremely tough, but they’ve added some all-world pieces to an already outstanding defense.

They signed safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw who were both considered by many to be the best at their position in free agency.

Denver already shattered expectations last season with their 10-7 record, so all these additions on defense and a year of development under Nix’s belt sounds like a recipe for success

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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