AFC West 2023 Season Preview

I am not falling for it again like I did last year. I still stand by what I said last year about the Chiefs though. If you remove the head coach and QB from every team in football, this is one of the least talented rosters in the league. But they certainly proved last year that head coach and QB are even more important than I initially thought, and that Patrick Mahomes is simply in another stratosphere from every other dude out there. So I’m taking them to win this division. But the Chris Jones situation is certainly worth monitoring…

Here we are again with the Chargers. The roster is loaded with talent. Justin Herbert may be in the MVP running (and at those odds is not a bad bet, although I don’t love it). But Brandon Staley may be the worst head coach in the league. And Andy Reid has proven a head coach makes or breaks their team. Sure, they’ll win some games and likely will make the playoffs. But that’s about it.

The Raiders are a tough team to figure out. Could they be good? Absolutely. They have an elite-level WR and an elite-level edge rusher. That along with a great RB, a proven winner at QB, and a few other pieces here and there could produce a winning team. That being said, they had mostly the same pieces last year, and only won 6 games. So if Jimmy G is a downgrade to Derek Carr, which for the record I’m not convinced he is, this team could be in for a long season. But I predict them to be right around .500. The bet I’d make is for Maxx Crosby, who still feels vastly underrated, to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Sean Payton has been brought in now to save Russell Wilson and the Broncos. Can he do it? Maybe. But I doubt it. I don’t think this team finishes above .500, so taking the under for their wins is the play. They have injuries piling up already. I think they’re in for more of the same that they had last season.