(Photo: Uni Watch)
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Get by, that was the theme of their 2024 season because they didn’t dominate teams as we’ve seen in years past, but they still found ways to win football games despite allowing teams to hang around for most of the game. They won the AFC West once again, this time, they locked up home-field advantage and won the AFC Championship for the third consecutive season. Unfortunately, all the issues they had caught up to them at the worst time which was the Super Bowl and they were dominated at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. By far, that was the worst I’ve seen them play since their Super Bowl appearance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Say what you want, but they are still the cream of the crop not just in their division, but in the entire AFC and have been consistently good since Patrick Mahomes first season as the starting Quarterback. They will find a way to be one of the last four teams you talk about come playoff time.
2. Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh worked his magic again and wherever he goes, the winning formula happens to travel with him. The year before with Brandon Staley, this was a 5-12 football team with the questions hovering all over the franchise. In the first year under Jim, they win 11 games and clinched a playoff berth which was their best season in recent memory. I’ve noticed the Chargers have had inconsistent targets in the passing game and don’t get me wrong, Ladd McConkey was great in his first season, but he’s not the guy that can consistently go over the top which is why L.A. drafted Tre Harris, a Wide Receiver from Ole Miss which will give Justin Herbert the possession receiver he’s been needing. Jim is slowly but surely giving the Chargers an identity as he wants them to be a physical and downhill football team.
3. Denver Broncos: It happened! For the first time since the 2015 season, they were a playoff team and the last time they played a postseason game, they were celebrating a Super Bowl win over the Carolina Panthers. Bo Nix fell to the Denver Broncos in the NFL Draft last year, and he became the 14th starting Quarterback since Peyton Manning and delivered by helping lead the Broncos to ten wins on the season. Now, this year, they will have to attempt to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. I loved the Dre Greenlaw signing for them and if he can stay healthy, the Denver defense will benefit from his services. The Broncos defense a season ago ranked first when it came to sacking the Quarterback. What Bo did was nice an all, but I’m always a firm believer in the saying “let me see it again”. Show me that you’re not a one-year wonder.
4. Las Vegas Raiders: They have underage their share of change as far as ownership is concerned. I’ve said for years that coaching does matter, but experienced coaching makes all the difference and the Raiders went and hired Pete Carroll. I’ve watched Pete for a long time, and he knows how to turn teams around, look what he did for the Seattle Seahawks all those years ago. The Raiders also acquired Geno Smith from those same Seahawks, and he played for Coach Carroll. Also, they drafted the most dynamic playmaker in Boise State Running Back, Ashton Jeanty and you still have Brock Bowers who took the league by storm in his rookie season a year ago. The Raiders also extended Maxx Crosby during the off-season. I think both the offense and defense will be improved to keep them in games in 2025. With a healthy Maxx and Christian Wilkins, then on the other side of the ball if the line can hold up front, they will be trending in the right direction.
2025 Predictions
1. Chiefs (13-4)
2. Chargers (10-7)
3. Broncos (8-9)
4. Raiders (7-10)
Three teams made the playoffs from this division last year. Since 2012, only two teams have dominated this division and that’s the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs with Denver winning it each year from 2012 to 2015 and the Chiefs have won the west each year since 2016. For the 10th consecutive season, Andy Reid’s bunch will claim another division title and finish in first. Here is how good this football team has been: Since their Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, the Chiefs have lost a total of three games in the regular season which is dominance at its finest. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t thrown 30 or more touchdown passes since his MVP season in 2022, but this year, he has the weapons to eclipse that. The defense knows they can handle games when the offense is struggling to find their rhythm. As expected, they will clinch their division and more than likely end up with one of the top seeds in the AFC playoffs and at this point, it’s become routine with them.
