Best and worst case scenario for each AFC West team in 2022

It’s time to analyze the AFC West, a division that, on paper, will be the most fought over in the entire American Conference and, possibly, the next Super Bowl champion could come from here. Under this premise, it is interesting to observe what may or may not allow any of these to achieve such a prediction.

Thus, although the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos and Raiders seek to reach Super Bowl LVII, some want to return to another, some want to consolidate their project and, finally, there will be those who have great ambitions in their first year. Consequently, their contexts can be decisive in this tough competition.

So let’s start with our analyzes of the 2022 NFL Season of the AFC West:

Kansas City Chiefs

Best situation: Be champions of SB LVII

The departure of players like WR Tyreek Hill makes the franchise look like a small reboot right now. As the stars leave, Andy Reid bets on what he does best: renewing rosters. Thus, even with the doubts generated by his receivers such as Juju Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore, they are part of an offensive transformation with a lot of speed, led by the always impressive QB Patrick Mahomes.

All of this is important, since as the rival to beat within the AFC West and AFC, they must be constantly changing. And it is that if we go to his last game of last season, in the AFC Championship 2021, the scheme already showed evidence of fatigue and an urgent need for changes. Even forced by circumstances, it seems that they are generating good sensations right now.

worst situation: Not entering the postseason

Last year they could afford to lose several games early in the season, including relinquishing the division lead, but not this time.

Their schedule is the most difficult according to NFL evaluators, so the Chiefs risk not getting up anymore if they start giving up wins like last season, hoping to recover later. Also, the risk of having such a tight division magnifies all the mistakes made. And in a fatalistic scenario, they sink them out of the competition and, therefore, not win the Super Bowl this year.

Los Angeles Chargers

Best situation: Finally enter the playoffs

The roster change from one year to this is incredible for the Chargers. After suffering from their defensive deficiencies, the arrival of players like LB Khalil Mack, CB JC Jackson, LB Kyle Van Noy, etc. make this a strength on par with their already consolidated offense, with QB Justin Herbert who has just added 5,014 yards, 38 TDs and 15 interceptions in 2021.

In the best case scenario, the defense combines to be a wall in every way, and the offense continues to rack up points like crazy with an ever-evolving Herbert. Ultimately, that leads to the AFC West being theirs again, entering the playoffs to fight for more than just being a one and outand thus, the entire investment is completely justified.

worst situation: Same old gray team

Let’s be clear: They invested millions in superstars this offseason, they have the best quarterback of their generation arguably, plus their head coach, Brandon Staley, is a lauded defensive genius, but sometimes history weighs more.

Let’s not forget that for a long time they have been the typical team that falls at the last second, regardless of the coach, whether in the game or in the season; this can go beyond the roster, because honestly, this is a team game. If with some legends of this franchise they have suffered, why would it be different this time?

The truth is that this AFC West team is not proven at all in general, and Herbert has tired of carrying them to end up drowning near the shore. The challenge will be for the entire roster to be truly at their level, and for that, it takes more than just spending a lot of money.

Denver Broncos

Best situation: Russell Wilson leads the way to playoffs

Denver has been living in a cloud since they managed to make the trade for QB Russell Wilson, and after his arrival, many must believe that this is like in 2013 with Peyton Manning, with a roster full of talent and led by a differential player in the entire NFL. So, after bitterly living with a 7-9 record, they’re not just looking to improve this, but the whole picture.

In the scenario most anticipated by his fans, despite being the first year of the new project, Wilson is absolutely forceful, with an offense that brings the best of the Matt LaFleur/Kyle Shanahan system, adapting it to its own potential. On defense, the Bradley Chubb-Randy Gregory duo is brutal, managing to leave behind the memory of LB Von Miller. By the end of the year, that transition wasn’t even felt, as they entered the playoffs and with more potential for Year 2.

worst situation: Reconstruction takes longer than expected. They do not qualify for the playoffs

In a rather disappointing scenario, the Broncos are reached by what they have wanted to avoid with so much experience: the adaptation of a new era in the franchise.

Of course not everything would go wrong, because Wilson would put up strong numbers and so on, but this in turn makes him fall into his most important typical mistakes, like looking for the big play even if it’s not the right time and having friction with his coach for all of it . Eventually, the mood would be reflected throughout the team, and perhaps this is where the coaching staff can’t deal with so much ego in the locker room. And just like that, in 2023 we would be talking about possible somewhat dramatic decisions.

las vegas raiders

Best situation: Making the playoffs in Josh McDaniels’ freshman year

Head coach Josh McDaniels has been quite ambitious this year, consequently GM Dave Ziegler has been quite aggressive in his first moves with the team. So while they revamp the franchise, they’ve done it with quite a bit of talent.

On offense, along with WR Davante Adams, who was signed to a 5-year, $141.25 million deal, they also extended QB Derek Carr’s contract for the next three years. In their defense, the reconstruction began with CB Anthony Averette from the Chargers. And overall, it’s a much more interesting roster than the last one, which still managed to make the playoffs last season.

An idyllic scenario would be taking advantage of the great chemistry between Carr and Adams, so that together with WR Hunter Renfrow and TE Darren Waller they make their way in a much more aggressive offensive scheme with McDaniels. As a result, we see a game similar to that of those offenses like that of the 2017 Patriots, where the defense was the least of it, since they scored a lot of points, making it easier for them to work on that side.

worst case scenario: Josh McDaniels is back to who he was in Denver

Coming from Bill Belichick’s coaching tree always means losing your sanity at a certain point and getting crushed by your own mistakes, usually sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, with the attitude that this front office has had, it is generating the same scenario of failure that McDaniels suffered in Denver, rather, that everyone suffered.

There are so many expectations, expenses and pressure to be in this division, that if McDaniels does not have good first impressions, the worst scenario will slowly come true. Although owner Mark Davis will surely have patience with him, in the end it would be the same as in the Jon Gruden era, but perhaps more self-destructive this time. We would not even have to wait for the end of the year to see the irreversible effects of this scenario.

What are each of the AFC West teams destined for in the 2022 NFL Season? Which of the aforementioned will manage to give a better role next year? We read you in the comments below this article and on our social networks.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the best and worst case scenarios in 2022 series below: