AFC West: Chiefs eye 3-peat while Raiders, Broncos, Chargers are all playoff longshots

AFC WEST

DENVER BRONCOS

Coach: Sean Payton (second season with the Broncos, 160-98 in the regular season, 9-8 in the playoffs).

Last season: 8-9 (third in the division).

Key additions: QB Bo Nix, WR Josh Reynolds, IOL Calvin Throckmorton, LB Cody Barton, S Brandon Jones.

Key subtractions: QB Russell Wilson, WR Jerry Jeudy, IOL Lloyd Cushenberry, DL Jonathan Harris, S Justin Simmons.

Looking ahead: The Sean Payton experiment has been a bust so far for the Broncos, but the coach will get a chance at a reset this year. Russell Wilson is gone and rookie Bo Nix is the new starting quarterback. Payton is about as perfect a coach as there is to pair with Nix, but the rest of the offense leaves tons to be desired. Denver needs to build up a better infrastructure around Nix.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Coach: Andy Reid (12th season with the Chiefs, 258-144-1 in the regular season, 26-16 in the playoffs).

Last season: 11-6 (first in the division), won the Super Bowl.

Key additions: QB Carson Wentz, WR Marquise Brown, WR Xavier Worthy, TE Irv Smith, T Kingsley Suamataia.

Key subtractions: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, IOL Nick Allegretti, LB Willie Gay, CB L’Jarius Sneed, S Mike Edwards.

Looking ahead: The Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC and should beat up on a weak AFC West. Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the NFL and Travis Kelce is still the best tight end. Kansas City’s offensive line is probably the best in the conference. Star defensive lineman Chris Jones might be the best defensive player in the league. Aside from wide receiver, the Chiefs are still a team without a weakness and they won a second straight Super Bowl without great wideouts just last year.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Coach: Antonio Pierce (first season as full-time NFL head coach, 5-4 in the regular season).

Last season: 8-9 (second in the division).

Key additions: QB Gardner Minshew, RB Alexander Mattison, TE Brock Bowers, IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson, DL Christian Wilkins.

Key subtractions: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Josh Jacobs, WR Hunter Renfrow, T Jermaine Eluemunor, DL Jerry Tillery

Looking ahead: The Raiders are in a transitional period, with Antonio Pierce as a first-time coach and a search for a new quarterback underway. In the meantime, Las Vegas is building a strong defense and a solid supporting cast to be ready to go whenever it does find its next quarterback. After adding Christian Wilkins to a defensive line already featuring fellow star Maxx Crosby, the Raiders could have the best defensive line in the country.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Coach: Jim Harbuagh (first season with the Chargers, 44-19-1 in the regular season, 5-3 in the playoffs).

Last season: 5-12 (fourth in the division).

Key additions: WR Ladd McConkey, TE Hayden Hurst, T Joe Alt, LB Denzel Perryman, CB Kristian Fulton.

Key subtractions: RB Austin Ekeler, WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams, TE Gerald Everett, LB Eric Kendricks.

Looking ahead: Look at the quarterback-coach combo and its hard not to be excited: Jim Harbaugh comes to lead the Chargers after coaching Michigan to its first national championship in a generation and Justin Herbert is still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The rest of the roster makes it clear this could be a bit of a retool for Los Angeles, though. The Chargers lose running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Keenan Allen, their two most reliable weapons for most of the last decade, and have never been very intimidating on defense.