Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Large helmets of the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos of the AFC West before an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How Close Will the AFC West Be in 2025?

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The AFC West division is poised to be one of the most competitive in the National Football League in 2025. Last season, three of the four teams in the division made it to the playoffs, but the Kansas City Chiefs once again claimed the division title, marking their ninth consecutive title in this division.

As the new season approaches, the Chiefs are striving to secure their tenth consecutive AFC West division title. However, when considering the other teams in the division, this season may prove to be more challenging for Kansas City to achieve that goal than in previous years.

This offseason, there has been much debate about whether the Kansas City Chiefs can continue their dominance in the division. Some believe it is the Los Angeles Chargers' time to shine, while others lean towards the Denver Broncos.

The Chargers and Broncos pose the greatest threat to the Chiefs in the division. While the Las Vegas Raiders have a roster that could surprise, they don’t seem capable of winning the division on paper. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that the Chiefs have a shot at winning the division, but it will be a close contest.

"I can't do it. I still believe in the Chiefs. I don't care what the schedule is. I don't care where they're playing. They could play in Brazil. They could play in Bora Bora. They could play in a different galaxy and I'd still believe in the Chiefs," Florio said.

"I still think they win the division by a whisker, by a hair over the Broncos. And also I this gets back to the point that I was making earlier. I understand there may be a method for Sean Payton talking about this team being good enough to get to the Super Bowl, but damn, it puts pressure on them."

The Broncos have not won the AFC West division since the 2015 season, and the Chiefs have dominated the division since then. With their head coach pursuing Super Bowl aspirations and the franchise not having reached the Super Bowl since Super Bowl 50, high expectations are placed on them, as noted by Florio.

The Chiefs have established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC, having played in the last three Super Bowls and winning two of them. While the division remains competitive, it's difficult to doubt the Chiefs and their impressive track record in recent seasons. The Chiefs should be viewed as the team to beat until another team demonstrates that it can take them down.

Check us out and follow us on X (Twitter) @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella to never miss another Chiefs news story again.

Click here to let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: