1. Kansas City Chiefs: So many thought their run would come an end. I remember Bart Scott on ESPN saying they would miss the playoffs (that piece of analysis aged horribly). The AFC West loaded up last season. The Broncos acquired Russell Wilson, the Raiders acquired Davante Adams and the Chargers acquired Khalil Mack. Let’s also remember the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. I never doubted this Kansas City group because they have the best player and coach in the division. Patrick Mahomes did it once again! Another division title, top seed in the AFC, a fifth trip to the AFC Championship and third trip to the Super Bowl. Patrick became just the second player ever to win MVP and the Super Bowl in the same year as Kurt Warner was the first. Travis Kelce continues to show why he’s becoming an all-time great Tight End. The Chiefs won 14 games and bought home another Lombardi trophy to Kansas City. What a year.
2. Los Angeles Chargers: This was the favorite coming into the year to take the division from the Chiefs. I was high on Justin Herbert during his college days at Oregon and he hasn’t disappointed me yet. Justin has become a top-five Quarterback in this league today. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and were able to still win games with a slew of injuries to some key guys. Mike Williams was in and out of the line up and he’s a key piece for this offense. When LA got to the playoffs, they opened up with a 27-point lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars and blew it. Brandon Staley enters this season on the hot seat and if they don’t win at least one playoff game, the Chargers will move on from him. I’m shocked they decided to bring him back for another year after blowing that lead!
3. Las Vegas Raiders: They are coming off of a 6-11 campaign last year. This Raiders group was a mess last year. The Offensive Line hasn’t been the best, outside of Maxx Crosby, they don’t play defense and they had so many needs to be addressed. The offense was the only shining point of their team in 2022. Josh Jacobs was finally healthy and won the rushing title and Davante Adams showed he’s not a product of Aaron Rodgers as he led the league in touchdowns amongst receivers with 14. Las Vegas decided to part ways with Derek Carr and signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a free agent contract. They did absolutely nothing to improve their roster during the off-season. I do hope Tyree Wilson pans out for this defense because they needed someone to play alongside Maxx Crosby.
4. Denver Broncos: I was excited for them last year. They finally were able to land a veteran Quarterback in Russell Wilson and the move felt so similar to 2012 when the Broncos were able to land Peyton Manning. This was the biggest disappointment in the NFL last year. The offense was terrible and couldn’t generate anything to score points. I remember saying they were using Russ the incorrect way last season. Look back to his Seattle days, he was mobile, he moved the pocket and made magic happen with his feet. They kept him in the pocket too much. This year, the Broncos made a splash and hired Sean Payton as their next Head Coach. We all saw what he did with the Saints, now let’s see if he can bring that same magic to Denver in 2023.
2023 Predictions
1. Chiefs (13-4)
2. Chargers (10-7)
3. Broncos (8-9)
4. Raiders (4-13)
The Kansas City Chiefs will win this division for the eighth consecutive year. They are the cream of the crop of this division and I don’t see them being dethroned anytime soon. Patrick Mahomes enters the prime of his career this year and look what he’s been able to do before reaching his peak. Travis Kelce will record another season of 1,000 receiving yards and this will be a tough group to beat once again. They will lock up the top seed in the AFC Playoffs once again and get back to another conference championship game. I think they have the best trio in the NFL as we speak in Reid, Mahomes and Kelce. I expect Denver to be improved and the Chargers to also be in the fold. Kansas City has too much which is why they will prevail.
