State of the AFC West: Where do the Broncos Stand Entering 2024?
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The 2023 regular season is in the books, with the Denver Broncos finishing 8-9 under new head coach Sean Payton, a three-game increase from the previous year. Unfortunately, Denver still missed the playoffs, which extended the streak to eight consecutive seasons, finishing third in the AFC West.
The Las Vegas Raiders again swept the Broncos, increasing their losing streak against the Silver and Black to eight in a row. On a positive note, the Broncos finally snapped what had been a 16-game losing streak to the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos even swept the Los Angeles Chargers, gaining their first-ever win at SoFi Stadium. Denver finished an even 3-3 in the AFC West this season, which is an improvement.
There were many ups and downs at Mile High this season, but today, we will examine how the rest of the AFC West faired in 2023, which may help us understand where the Broncos stand in the division entering 2024.
Los Angeles Chargers | 5-12
The Chargers took a nosedive relative to their 2022 season, going from 10-7 down to 5-12, and finishing fourth place in the division. As talented of a roster as they have, the Chargers were held back by their lackluster coaching staff headed by Brandon Staley, who was fired after a 63-21 loss to the Raiders in Week 14.
Despite being a defensive-centric coach, Staley couldn’t get his side of the ball in order. The Chargers' defense finished 24th overall, even with talents like Derwin James, Khalil Mack, and Asante Samuel Jr.
The salt in the wound of the Chargers’ woeful season was quarterback Justin Herbert, sustaining a season-ending index finger fracture on his right hand. With Staley in the unemployment line, the Chargers are scheduled to meet with current Michigan Wolverines national champion head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Whether college or NFL, Harbaugh is a proven winner and could make a difference for a franchise that has struggled to the point of new verbiage being coined to describe L.A.'s unique type of struggles. "Chargering” has entered the NFL lexicon.
Las Vegas Raiders | 8-9
The Raiders had a slight uptick in the win column from 2022, going from 6-11 to 8-9, No. 2 in the division. Head coach Josh McDaniels was fired only eight games into 2023, ending his year-and-a-half tenure.
Sound familiar, Broncos Country? After his firing, the Raiders promoted linebackers coach Antonio Pierce to interim head coach.
What followed was the benching of Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders' defense played much better, and the players rallied around their new leader as they humiliated Patrick Mahomes on Christmas Day.
Vegas finished the season by once again defeating the Broncos. Despite Pierce’s efforts to step in for McDaniels, the Raiders have yet to interview him to take over permanently. Vegas' star defensive end Maxx Crosby has suggested he’d request a trade if Pierce doesn’t get the gig. Never a dull moment in Las Vegas.
Kansas City Chiefs
Once again, the Chiefs have won the AFC West and punched their ticket to the playoffs, where they’ve already advanced to the Divisional Round after defeating the Miami Dolphins 26-7. It wasn’t an easy road, however.
The Chiefs dropped from 14-3 to 11-6 because Mahomes and the offense were out of sync most of the season. The weapons around Mahomes were the worst he’s ever had.
The Chiefs receivers had 44 drops this season, which was the most in the NFL. Travis Kelce has lost a step, and despite him being Mahomes' top target over the years, the two were disjointed.
Kelce has mentioned retirement a few times this season, which might make sense. He has a successful podcast with his brother Jason Kelce and a superstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
Tyreek Hill’s departure didn’t hurt the Chiefs so much last year, but the toll came this season. Without a true difference-maker at the receiver position, Kansas City's offense has to turn to trickery, smoke, and mirrors.
If there was any year to dethrone Andy Reid and the Chiefs, it was 2023, and the rest of the AFC West was too incompetent to capitalize. The Chiefs once again conquered the wild, wild AFC West despite a downturn in offensive production.
The offseason is already upon the other three teams, and they all have questions about how to stack up against their ruler. New coaches, quarterbacks, and controversies will be the talk of this division throughout the off-season.
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