Making Sense of AFC West Prospects, Sans Kansas City

Sweet 16

In fact, the Chiefs (2010, 2016-24) and Broncos (2011-15, 2025) have combined to capture the last 16 division crowns. The last team other than Kansas City or Denver to win it was the San Diego Chargers in 2009.

Over the prior 15 years, the Chiefs and Broncos have combined for seven Super Bowl berths and four Super Bowl championships.

Denver has an opportunity to extend that remarkable AFC West run this season. The Broncos, who may have played their starters for the final time during the regular season when they beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, can clinch the conference’s No. 1 seed from their couch on Sunday.

The Broncos will get the AFC’s only first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a New England loss, a Buffalo loss or tie, and a Jacksonville loss or tie.

A return to Santa Clara for AFC West?

In two of the prior three seasons Denver won the AFC West, the Broncos ended the season in the Super Bowl, including Super Bowl 50 over the Panthers. This season, the Super Bowl returns to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., for the first time since Denver’s victory there 10 years ago.

The Chargers, meanwhile, sustained a big loss to the Texans Saturday afternoon at SoFi Stadium. Less than two minutes into the game, C.J. Stroud hit Jayden Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown, more passing yards on one play than Chris Oladokun (66) produced in 60 minutes during Thursday’s loss.

Los Angeles is now likely to travel to either Jacksonville or Houston for its wild-card game. That’s significant because those sites represent where quarterback Justin Herbert badly lost each of his two career playoff games, in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

Kansas City’s twin nemesis this season, the Broncos and Chargers each swept the Chiefs. It marked the first time any division opponent had swept Kansas City since 2014.

In Week 18 at Las Vegas, the Chiefs (1-4 in AFC West) need a season-ending win to avoid their worst division record in 13 years. With a win on Sunday over the Raiders, Kansas City would have its worst division mark since it was 2-4 in 2013, Reid’s first season as Chiefs coach.

The Chiefs were 0-6 in the division during a miserable 2-14 season in 2012.

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