For the last half-decade, the AFC West has been the Denver Broncos’ domain.
The Broncos enter the 2015 NFL season as five-time defending division champions — a stranglehold that only got tighter once Peyton Manning joined the fray in 2012. In three seasons with the future Hall of Famer under center, Denver has gone 17-1 against division foes.
Is this the year the Broncos finally stumble? Don’t count on it. Here’s how we see the AFC West shaking out this season, in predicted order of finish.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos will go as far as Manning will take them, and while the 39-year-old’s game certainly isn’t what it was when he arrived at Mile High, he remains one of the best regular-season quarterbacks the NFL has to offer. Manning’s top two targets are back in receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and while the loss of tight end Julius Thomas (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars) is significant, Denver is expected to put greater emphasis on a ground game led by running back C.J. Anderson.
The Broncos aren’t the Super Bowl favorites they were in recent years, but Manning’s offense, coupled with a defense featuring numerous playmakers (Aqib Talib, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, etc.), should give them more than enough to take the West.
2. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers locked up their franchise cornerstone, Philip Rivers, to a four-year contract extension this offseason. They also bolstered the unit around the veteran quarterback by bringing in former Broncos offensive lineman Orlando Franklin, free-agent wideouts Jacoby Jones and Stevie Johnson, and — perhaps most intriguingly — rookie Melvin Gordon, who at 15th overall was the third-highest-drafted running back in the last five years.
The Bolts will count on Gordon, the NCAA’s leading rusher last season, to help elevate a unit that ranked 30th in rushing yards, 31st in yards per carry and tied for 29th in rushing touchdowns in 2014. The greater question will be whether the additions will be enough lift out of mediocrity a San Diego team that has won either seven, eight or nine games in each of the last five seasons.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs regressed in coach Andy Reid’s second season, going from an 11-5 playoff team to just another 9-7 club. There’s not a lot to suggest significant improvement will come in 2015, but given the current landscape of the AFC, a one-win uptick likely would be enough to get the Chiefs (and the Chargers, who also won nine games last season), back into the postseason.
To achieve that, KC’s formidable defense needs to remain healthy — something that eluded the unit last season, though it still ranked second in the league in points allowed per game — and its offense will need someone other than star running back Jamaal Charles to step up. Game manager extraordinaire Alex Smith did not throw a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver last season, but the offseason signing of Jeremy Maclin should go a long way toward remedying that.
4. Oakland Raiders
The last time the Raiders played in a playoff game, quarterback Derek Carr was two months shy of his 12th birthday. That drought will not end this season, but Oakland does have a number intriguing young pieces with Carr under center, fourth overall pick Amari Cooper at wideout and Khalil Mack, the No. 5 pick last year, harassing opposing QBs with his devastating pass-rushing abilities.
Experts are extremely high on Mack, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper tabbing the 24-year old as the NFL’s best 25-and-under player. Again, don’t expect this to translate into many wins this season, but the future for once looks bright for the Silver and Black.
Thumbnail photo via Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports Images
