How The AFC West Was Won: Week 1 Edition

Opening week has come and gone for the NFL 2025 season, and we have already seen one team establish an early alpha position in the AFC West. Another team overcame its mistakes to secure a victory. A refreshing autumn wind blew in briskly from the Atlantic Ocean.

Justin Herbert chucks lightning bolts all over the Chiefs…

The Chiefs have been the most successful organization in football since Andy Reid took over in 2013. Reid and his team have won the AFC West for the last nine years in a row. In 11 of Reid’s 12 seasons as head coach, the Chiefs have advanced to the postseason. More importantly, they have emerged victorious in three of the five Super Bowls they have participated in.

Herbert, the fifth-year quarterback out of Oregon, seems only worried about the here and now. As much as it pains me to say, Herbert was sensational. When the final zero hit the clock, he had thrown for 318 yards and three touchdowns and run for 32 yards. With a full year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, Herbert appears poised to take his game to the next level.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo threw everything and the kitchen sink at both Herbert and the Chargers offensive line. He enjoyed a sparse amount of success, but what he couldn’t do was find a way to hold down the Chargers offense.

When he shut down the run game, the Chargers threw it. When he limited the passing game, Herbert scrambled and made things happen with his legs. For every one of his moves, both Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Herbert had the counter.  What was more telling was that the Chiefs’ offense looked more and more limited.

Patrick Mahomes and the questions on offense…

Patrick Mahomes has been the best quarterback in the league since taking over for Alex Smith in 2018. Mahomes, excellent as he has been, has had declining numbers for the last three years. It may be time to honestly assess the Chiefs. His playmakers around him stink.

The Chiefs had absolutely nothing going on offense until he began running with the football. Mahomes did everything he could but catch an actual touchdown pass; however, if someone threw him a pass, he might have done that too. Mahomes was a part of both Chiefs touchdowns, having thrown one to tight end Travis Kelce and running one in himself.

Travis Kelce is reminiscent of old man Jason Witten. His run after the catch isn’t what it used to be. Despite resembling a wide receiver fake screen, he used misdirection and subterfuge to break free deep for a touchdown.  Furthermore, Kelce injured Xavier Worthy on a rub route where he ran into the receiver instead of the defender.

A healthy Marquise “Hollywood” Brown doesn’t display the necessary consistent catching and playmaking ability to be the leader of the receiving corps. Rashee Rice is on suspension for five more weeks and running the ball remains an issue. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combined for 41 yards on 10 carries.

The Broncos defense overcomes the beginnings of a sophomore slump…

Opening day against the Tennessee Titans was a nightmare for Broncos quarterback Bo Nixon. The Titans’ defense forced three turnovers from Nix: two interceptions and a fumble. He threw for 176 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions on 40 attempts, while also rushing for 18 yards and fumbling the only time he was sacked. Fortunately, the Broncos defense held strong.

Denver’s depth in the cornerback position continues to grow. Having both Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss wasn’t sufficient, so they drafted Jahdae Barron, the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner. Surtain started his campaign to become the best cornerback in the league by effectively shutting down Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor whenever he was matched up against them. Meanwhile, Riley Moss led the Broncos with two pass breakups. As a result, they managed to contain the 2025 number one overall pick, Cam Ward, to just 126 passing yards and no touchdowns.

Broncos running back RJ Harvey spearheaded the team’s rushing attack, gaining 70 yards on six carries, while JK Dobbins contributed with 63 yards and a touchdown. Despite Tony Pollard’s best efforts, the Broncos defense limited the Titans to a total of 71 rushing yards.

Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders are bombs away!

Carroll, with the 20-13 win over the New England Patriots, made him the oldest coach in Raiders history to achieve a season-opening win. Geno Smith fulfills the Raiders’ organizational fantasy with the journeyman mobile quarterback who comes in and takes the league by storm. After Week 1 against a very game Patriots front seven, who sacked him four times, Smith threw for a league-leading 362 yards and one touchdown. Smith had eight passes of more than 20 yards in the pouring rain on a terrible playing field.

Brock Bowers was five catches deep and 103 yards up before he hurt his knee in the second half. Jakobi Meyers, who is in a contract impasse, caught eight passes for 97 yards. Tre Tucker displayed tremendous feet in his speed and route running, caught the only touchdown pass from Smith and finished with 54 yards receiving.

Ashton Jeanty’s generational career got off to a sloppy start in the rain. Jeanty was phenomenal in pass protection displaying true heart and grit. It was challenging for Jeanty to find rushing lanes due to the poor quality of his run blocking. To their credit, the Patriots defensive gameplan of overloading weak sides proved to be difficult for the offensive line to navigate.

After a rough early start, the Raiders defense allowed only a remarkable 60 yards, recording four sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble (the latter occurring because the league did not review Maxx Crosby’s forced fumble on the incompletion by Maye). They even managed to dominate a team led by Mike Vrabel. Furthermore, Pat Graham and the secondary, which has faced criticism, successfully limited Drake Maye and the Josh McDaniels-coordinated offense to under 300 passing yards on 46 attempts, conceding only one touchdown and two field goals.

What does it all mean?

The Chargers (1-0) open the 2025 season with a head-to-head win over the Chiefs (0-1) and a chance to secure a partial sweep with three straight division games. The Broncos (1-0) showed rust offensively but overcame a poor showing from Nix with a stellar defensive showing against a middling team. The Raiders’ (1-0) new trade acquisition, Geno Smith, is the current NFL passing yards leader with 362 in the rain. The Chiefs’ defense failed to run the ball and was ok at stopping the run. The offense has more questions than answers but it’s only Week 1.