Highlighting AFC West blockbuster games of 2025 season

The NFL released its complete schedule for the 2025 season on Wednesday. Here is the blockbuster game (and another intriguing matchup) for every team in the AFC West:

Denver Broncos | Complete schedule 

BLOCKBUSTER| at Kansas City Chiefs, Dec. 25 (Week 17): During his rookie season in 2024, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix almost pulled off an upset at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in Week 10.

 Late in the fourth quarter, Nix and Co. marched 43 yards downfield, setting up a winning field-goal attempt for Denver kicker Wil Lutz. However, Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal blocked the 35-yard kick as time expired.

If Denver can get revenge for the 16-14 loss, that would be an excellent Christmas present for Broncos fans. 

ALSO INTRIGUING | at New York Jets in London, Oct. 12 (Week 6): Former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, whom Denver HC Sean Payton ripped before the 2023 season, is no longer the Jets offensive coordinator. The teams still share connections. 

New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, a former defensive back, played for Payton in his final season with the New Orleans Saints and was on his staff as a DBs coach from 2016-20. New Jets GM Darren Mougey also spent 13 seasons with Denver as a scout and assistant GM. 

The links between the teams could make this one of the more noteworthy international matchups. 

Kansas City Chiefs | Complete schedule 

BLOCKBUSTER | vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Sept. 14 (Week 2)

The Chiefs will host the Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX, which they lost 40-22. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes indicated the crushing loss has fueled them throughout the offseason.

"You have that bad taste in your mouth from the last time you stepped on the football field," Mahomes said in April, via The Athletic's Jayna Bardahl. "It gives you the push you want to go out there and be better and show what they're really about."  

The Chiefs will be motivated, but the Eagles still present a tough matchup. Their defense features second-year cornerback Cooper DeJean, who intercepted Mahomes for a 38-yard TD in Super Bowl LIX.

ALSO INTRIGUING | at Dallas Cowboys, Nov. 27 (Week 13): The Chiefs haven't played the Cowboys on Thanksgiving since the 1995 season. In that matchup, Dallas beat Kansas City 24-12. 

Since then, the team's fortunes have changed dramatically. The Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl in 29 years. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have hoisted three Lombardi Trophies over the past six years. 

Dallas is nicknamed "America's Team," but the matchup gives Kansas City the chance to overtake it as the NFL's biggest draw. According to Front Office Sport's Rodney Reeves, the Chiefs were the league's most-watched team last season, averaging 25.5 million viewers per contest. 

Las Vegas Raiders | Complete schedule

BLOCKBUSTER | vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 2 (Week 9): In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders took Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (pick No. 6), who finished second in 2024 Heisman voting behind Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter. The Jaguars, of course, grabbed the two-way star with the No. 2 pick in the draft. 

The Jeanty-Hunter matchup should be one of this game's biggest storylines. Monitor whether the RB outshines the CB/WR. 

Last season, the Jaguars allowed the league's 25th-most rushing yards (132.6). During his final season at Boise State, Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards in 14 games, the second most in a season in FBS history. 

ALSO INTRIGUING | at New England Patriots, Sept. 7 (Week 1): Before new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll won a Super Bowl in Seattle, he was the Patriots HC from 1997-99. He returns to New England in Week 1 and needs a win to kick-start his tenure. 

Although New England went 4-13 last season, the matchup could serve as a solid test for QB Geno Smith, whom the Raiders acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. In 2024, the Patriots ranked 10th in the league in passing yards allowed (211.5). 

If Smith and Raiders second-year TE Brock Bowers shred New England's stingy pass defense, that could give Carroll and Co. the early momentum they need. 

Los Angeles Chargers | Complete schedule 

BLOCKBUSTER | vs. Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sept. 5 (Week 1): The Chargers haven't won the AFC West since the 2009 season, when they were still in San Diego. To end the drought, they must beat the Chiefs, who have won nine consecutive division titles. 

The Chargers have struggled to do that even after taking QB Justin Herbert with pick No. 6 in the 2020 draft. Per Pro Football Reference, they haven't beaten the Chiefs since September 2021. 

Their first matchup in Brazil could determine whether the Chargers are a legit threat to the Chiefs this season or if they're still a tier below their divisional rival. 

ALSO INTRIGUING | vs. Minnesota Vikings, Oct. 23 (Week 8): Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season because of a meniscus tear, is expected to debut in 2025. The 22-year-old played for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, winning the national championship during the 2023 season. 

The coach loves the former Wolverines star. Per ESPN's Kris Rhim, Harbaugh said McCarthy is the best QB in the 2024 draft. 

Monitor whether McCarthy proves his former coach right or wrong in Week 8. The 10th pick of the 2024 draft may struggle against a Chargers defense that allowed the league's seventh-fewest passing yards (206.9) last season.