Every year I do my predictions for each division. I usually start in the East and head across the country west. But this year I thought I’d mix it up and go the other way. So this year we kick things off in the west. While I stand by my predictions I have the right to change them based upon injuries or other drastic issues. But I’m right more than I’m wrong on this so go ahead go make your bets at Vegas based upon this. Let’s start with the AFC.

AFC West

First Place: Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)

The Chiefs are being viewed by many based upon the Super Bowl. I get it is the biggest game of the year and it matters but most of these haters are forgetting to bring logic to this thing. The two teams being talked about as taking the AFC West crown both got blown out in the Wild Card round. But nobody is talking about how the formula is out on how to beat the Broncos and Chargers based upon this. The Chiefs have won the division 9 times in a row. They’ve made 7 straight AFC championships and gone to 5 super bowls in the last 6 years. They still have the best coach and quarterback in the league and a great defensive coordinator and defense. I’m not sure why they are all of the sudden going to fall apart. This feels a lot like 2022 when Tyreek got traded and everyone said the Chiefs were done and then Pat had one of the greatest years ever from a quarterback and they won the Super Bowl. I’m not ready to predict that…yet. But I’ll take them to win the division again. I got to see it before I believe it when it comes to someone else winning this division. I don’t think they will win 15 games again this regular season because the schedule is very tough but I think they could actually be better than last year…just with a worse record.

Second Place: Denver Broncos (11-6)

The Broncos have an incredible defense and it somehow got better in the offseason. So they should be able to stop people consistently. The questions are really on the offense. Bo Nix had a good rookie year but you got to beware of the sophomore slump. They don’t have a ton of offensive weapons and despite having a good offensive line they aren’t really good at running the football. A lot of people are higher on the Broncos then perhaps I am. I know they went 10-7 last year but they only won 2 games against teams with winning records, week 3 against the Bucs and then week 18 against the JV Chiefs. But Sean Payton knows how to win football games and the schedule isn’t too daunting. I think what you will see is a week 18 flex of the Chargers @ Broncos game for the last playoff spot. I trust Payton and Bo in that situation at home more than I do Harbaugh and Herbert in a game that matters.

3rd Place: Los Angeles Chargers 9-8

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where the media celebrates the Chargers division championship before any games are played. Harbaugh is even better in year 2, so they say. Justin Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the league until the games start. They got Mike Williams back…oh wait, he retired. Look, I don’t think the Chargers will suck. But I am not sure why they are all of the sudden going to over take the Chiefs. Much like the Broncos, they won a whopping 3 games against teams with a winning record. One against the Bengals who were 1 game about .500 and couldn’t stop anyone and the other 2 against the Broncos. I’m not sure exactly what they did to get significantly better. They will have a good defense and maybe their offensive weapons are slightly better but I don’t see that they did anything to make a leap. And more importantly I am still waiting for Justin Herbert to win a game that matters.

4th Place: Oakland Raiders (7-10)

Raiders gonna Raider. They have been a ridiculous bad team the last couple of decades. But it looks like they have made a few good decisions. Pete Carroll is obviously a step up. And Geno Smith is way better than who they have had at Quarterback over the last few years. They have some good young talent. Their defense is still kind of a mess and they need more receivers but they should be significantly better than they have been. I think they will be a challenging team to deal with. Now Pete Carroll said that they plan to win a lot. He even said he has been winning 10 games for 20 years now. Well Pete didn’t win any games last year and 10 games a year for 20 years is a bit of a stretch. But they will be competitive and their schedule is pretty easy so they could make things more interesting in the division. But then again, they are the Raiders so they will probably be terrible.

NFC West

First Place: Los Angeles Rams (12-5)

Here is what I like about the Rams. I like their coach. I like their young defense. I like their quarterback and skill guys. I like who they are at the end of every season. Here is what I don’t like. Their depth. How they usually start the season. How old some of their key players are. It’s a mixed bag but I’ll still take them to win the division. I think they are the best team in the division with the best coach so I got to pick them. But I am nervous that a couple of injuries could derail things. But I’ll roll with them for now. Also, I think Davante has a great year. Assuming he and Stafford stay healthy.

Second Place: San Francisco 49ers (11-6)

The 49ers are kind of a mess. They had a ton of injuries last year. They lost some good defensive players. All their receivers are injured, disgruntled or in trouble with the law. I think Brock Purdy is pretty good but not great. They are going to be young on defense which could cause problems early. So why do I have them in second place? Well the main reason is the schedule. They have the easiest schedule in the league. When you have an easy schedule and good coaching you typically win a lot of games. Just ask the Chargers of last year. They brought Robert Saleh back and I think he will help the defense improve. Assuming CMC and Kittle stay healthy, this should be a playoff team. And usually the 49ers follow a bad season with a trip to the NFC championship. So I’ll roll with Shanahan and the gang to get things back on track.

Third Place: Arizona Cardinals (9-8)

The big compliment the last couple of years about the Cardinals is they play hard. It’s basically the equivalent to me getting the hustle award in basketball. Hey you’re an average player with minimal talent…but you try real hard. Anyway, there is a lot to like about the Cardinals. There defense is pretty good. They have some good skill guys like McBride, Conner and Harrison Jr. Kyler Murray is fun. The schedule isn’t overly challenging. But it is inevitable that Murray and Conner get injured and their running back depth isn’t great and I don’t know who their back up quarterback is. Ultimately they may have to move on from Murray to finally get their team to the next level. But they should be a fun team this year and I am sure they will hustle…I mean play hard.

Fourth Place: Seattle Seahawks (7-10)

Every offseason a team makes moves that don’t make sense to me. The Seahawks are that team this year. They traded their best receiver. They released their other veteran receiver. They traded their quarterback who was one of 4 guys that threw for over 4,000 yards and a 70% completion ratio. Then they signed the guy right below him in both those categories. The problem is that guy has only been good one time in a system that isn’t yours. And he was terrible down the stretch and you got rid of most of your weapons. Your offensive line is still a struggle and you just added a quarterback who isn’t good under pressure. Sure they still have some nice pieces. But Kenneth Walker will be hurt by week 4 and Smith-Njigba is going to go from always open second option to often double teamed first option. I don’t really trust the coaching staff and I think they got worse talent wise so they will be in the basement.

Tune in Tomorrow for Top 10 Thursday when I cover the top 10 teams that can win the super bowl. And Tune in next week when I breakdown and predict the AFC and NFC North.