NFL insider wild prediction: Chargers drop in AFC West but still make playoffs

Have the Los Angeles Chargers done enough to finally unseat the Kansas City Chiefs? According to Sports Illustrated, it's not just Patrick Mahomes the Bolts have to worry about in 2025 but also Bo Nix and the surging Denver Broncos.

In SI writer Connor Orr's annual predictions in which he projects the results of all 272 NFL regular-season games, he says the Chargers will somehow make the playoffs ... but also finish in third place in the AFC West behind the Broncos and the Chiefs, who will claim their 10th consecutive division title.

SI's predicted standings: Chiefs 11-6, Broncos 10-7, Chargers 10-7, Las Vegas Raiders 8-9.

Orr has the Chargers beating the Chiefs in Week 1 in Brazil, then never winning or losing more than two games in a row in an oscillating season that ends in a Wild Card berth for Jim Harbaugh's team. The key: The Bolts will split with the Chiefs and Raiders, but get swept by the Broncos including a Week 18 loss in Mile High Stadium.

Writes SI of the Chargers this season:

"I have the Chargers finishing in third place but still making the playoffs. I toyed with a version of this prediction matrix that had L.A. winning the division, which doesn't sound so far-fetched when you remember that Jim Harbaugh took a really bad team to the playoffs in 2024. The roster continues to churn and get better. This offense is going to be more stable, even without the help of Rashawn Slater, who is a devastating loss but is backed by Joe Alt moving to left tackle and the experienced Trey Pipkins III slotting over on the right side."