2023 AFC West Division NFL Odds & Predictions
Nothing much has changed atop the AFC West, as the Chiefs have dominated the division for over half a decade and counting. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL despite last season’s relatively mediocre performances for half of the teams in this group. Is Kansas City still the runaway favorite to remain as the king of the AFC West?
Nitrobetting is here to take your bets into the end zone this 2023 NFL season. This time, let’s break down each team from the AFC West and their corresponding odds of winning the division title in 2023.
2023 NFL Odds to Win the AFC West
AFC WEST BOLD PREDICTIONS @PFF_Sam ✍️https://t.co/yGVFfUgNxq
— PFF (@PFF) August 8, 2023
There are not lines
Kansas City Chiefs
For the past seven seasons, Kansas City has had a stranglehold of the AFC West, winning the division in each of those seasons and even picking up a couple of Super Bowl trophies along the way, including last year’s magnificent run at the Lombardi. Nobody comes close to the mystique and sustained high level of performance as two-time league MVP Patrick Mahomes and the same could be said about his record-shattering favorite target, four-time first-team All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.
Mahomes proved that he didn’t need a top-10 wide receiver to be prolific in the passing game, and he’ll have to do more with less yet again now that wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman are no longer on the team. Then again, the biggest concern for KC is on the defense, as the team made no groundbreaking deals this offseason to shore up that side of the ball. Regardless, for as long as Mahomes is running the ship in Arrowhead, the Chiefs are easy consensus favorites not just to win the division yet again, but to even go all the way for another Super Bowl-winning campaign.
Los Angeles Chargers
A solid 10-7 record was good enough for the Chargers to make the playoffs for the first time in the Justin Herbert era. However, leave it to the Bolts to stage the biggest playoff collapse in history to put a damper on an otherwise successful 2022 campaign. Similar to Mahomes, Herbert is a smart and accurate QB who can throw crisp passes to just about any receiver, as evident last season wherein the former Offensive Rookie of the Year had to deal with a revolving door of wideouts with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing significant time due to injuries.
Los Angeles fixed this problem by drafting a pair of wideouts in this year’s draft with the 21st overall draft pick in TCU standout Quentin Johnson and Johnson’s teammate Derius Davis with a fourth-round flyer. And just like Kansas City again, LA’s defense is still an enigma, as a unit featuring big names such as Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Derwin James is underwhelming at best. In turn, the Chargers are noteworthy playoff contenders and intriguing sleepers to finally dethrone the Chiefs from their lofty AFC West perch.
Denver Broncos
Oh boy, Russell Wilson’s debut season in Mile High could not have been a more terrifying nightmare for the former Super Bowl-winning QB. Wilson regressed to the point that he was the butt of most NFL fans’ jokes on social media, and it didn’t help that he had a clueless coaching staff and a lack of healthy weapons in the passing game.
However, a massive shakeup arrives in Denver with another title-winning figure coming to town; former Saints head coach Sean Payton. A new locker room culture should do Wilson’s confidence wonders under Payton, and the return of prolific running back Javonte Williams is another huge plus for the Broncos’ turnaround season. As such, Denver is a fringe sleeper pick to beat out Kansas City for the AFC West title for the first time since 2015.
Las Vegas Raiders
There’s also a significant change over in Sin City, as the Raiders have parted with their franchise quarterback Derek Carr this offseason. In Carr’s place comes another above-average gunslinger in Jimmy Garoppolo, who lead the 49ers to two Super Bowl appearances. Garoppolo does have some health issues with a nagging foot injury of late, which could lead to an early downfall for Vegas if Jimmy G misses a lot of time on the sidelines because of this.
On top of that, star tight end Darren Waller also left the desert, which prompted the team to sign a who’s who of wide receivers this offseason (Jakobi Myers, Phillip Dorsett, DeAndre Carter) to keep the deep-ball pressure off of top threat Davante Adams. Unfortunately, the Raiders still have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and no amount of offense will be enough to keep up with the likes of the Chiefs and Chargers to seriously contend for the AFC West title this season if the Silver and Black’s D doesn’t make a remarkable improvement this year.
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