National Football League

Who is the best in the AFC West? Chargers look like challengers to Chiefs

Updated Oct. 5, 2021 5:16 p.m. ET

Three teams currently line the top of the AFC West at 3-1. The defending AFC champs are not one of them.

That's right: The squad that many think is the best in the division — and has the best chance of getting back to the Super Bowl — currently has its worst record. Granted, they're only a game back at 2-2, but it's still a bit jarring to see the Kansas City Chiefs at the bottom following Week 4.

It's early, but perhaps the AFC West could be undergoing a changing of the guard.

The Denver Broncos' defense is perhaps the best the NFL has seen since they dotted their city with orange and blue confetti at 2016's Super Bowl parade.

The Las Vegas Raiders look poised and confident, as Derek Carr and Jon Gruden have injected mojo into an offense capable of cranking out points. They still have some loose ends to deal with on defense, though.

The Los Angeles Chargers just made that defense look silly in a 28-14 victory Monday, and second-year quarterback Justin Herbert and crew appear capable of finishing atop the division.

And then there are those Chiefs, who still employ Patrick Mahomes II, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Those players alone make the Chiefs a threat.

As of now, however, the race to the top looks wide open.

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Chris Broussard thinks Kansas City should be wary of the teams sitting just above it in the standings — especially the Chargers.

"I picked Kansas City to win the Super Bowl," Broussard said Tuesday on "First Things First." "But they should definitely be concerned with the Chargers. The Chargers are legitimate. They've shown all season that they are a very good team. The difference between the Chargers and the Chiefs right now: defense. The Chargers play it and play it very well. And the Chiefs don't.

"We know what Brandon Staley did as the Rams' DC, and now he's done that with the Chargers. They have moved from a poor defense last year to a top-10 defense this year. The Raiders had run roughshod over teams offensively in the first three weeks of the season, and they ran into a brick wall. The Chargers shut them down."

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For Broussard, Los Angeles is a threat not only because of its stout defense but also because of the evolution of its starlet quarterback.

"Justin Herbert is looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, so you're not just facing a team that plays great D but can't score," he added. "They can score on you, too, especially that sorry defense that Kansas City has. The Chiefs are giving up three points per possession. The only other team to do that: the 2019 Miami Dolphins, who everyone thought was tanking. The Chargers have beaten the Chiefs two straight times."

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Nick Wright echoed Broussard's sentiment on Herbert and the Bolts' electric offense.

"The Chargers have an excellent quarterback," he said. "Two very good wide receivers. A very good coach. They will be sticking around."

But he's not sold on their ability to sustain a playoff push.

"Every game all year the Chargers are on the road. It doesn't matter who comes to L.A. It's that team's home game. I do think the Chargers are good. I think Herbert has a chance to be the second-best quarterback in the AFC long-term. But for a guy and coach who have minimal experience, for a franchise that has never been to the playoffs with these guys — and every game you play is a road game — this is a 10-7, 11-6 team at best. That's not winning the AFC West."

Nick Wright on why Chargers are no threat to Chiefs: 'They're an 11-6 team at best' I FIRST THINGS FIRST

Nick Wright discusses whether the Los Angeles Chargers' win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night makes them a threat to the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the AFC West.

The Chiefs and Chargers are not scot-free in this jam-packed division, though. And for those who have those two as surefire bets to emerge from the fold as favorites, the Raiders and Broncos might have something to say.

For now, this showdown remains a four-way scuffle for "Best in the West."

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