Who can topple the Broncos in the AFC West?

Posted by Mike Florio on April 7, 2015, 3:48 PM EDT
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Denver’s dominance of the AFC West predates Peyton Manning’s arrival; even Tim Tebow won a division with the Broncos.

But some think this is the year the Broncos will surrender their stranglehold on the AFC West.  If that’s the case, which team will pull it off?

That’s the basis for Tuesday’s poll question on NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk.  Cast a ballot below, and then tune in for the show at 5:30 p.m. on NBCSN, which will focus on the Chiefs and Chargers draft plans.  And plenty of other stuff, with Paul Burmeister, Jason Taylor, Ross Tucker, and yours truly.

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39 responses to “Who can topple the Broncos in the AFC West?”

  5. QB’s decide teams success in the NFL, the Raiders have the best young QB in the league.

    Rivers & Manning on the decline and Alex Smith isn’t a long term answer. Carr will run that divison for years to come while the other 3 search for next QB.

    As far as 2015, it’ll depend how much new staff, defense & offense comes together w/ aquired FA and draft, maybe they can right away? We’ll see.

  6. The D linemen playing opposite Gradkowski have to be considered strong candidates.

  10. If Rivers doesn’t get traded, he’s gonna do his best to show he deserves a big payday. The extra cash will help with gas to drive back and forth to LA…

  11. Who can topple the Broncos in the AFC West?
    ———————–

    How can anybody possibly know? No teams have yet to take the field. Are you assuming because the forehead is back they will automatically be playoff worthy?

  15. It doesn’t really matter. After all, any one of the three would be humiliated once they arrived in New England.

  16. Broncos fan here. I’m gonna go with the status quo and say that the Chargers probably have the best chance at challenging for the title. They’ve been the most competitive over the past several years (though the Chiefs have improved recently). Good talent across the board on both sides of the ball, both young and veteran standouts, excellent kicking game, don’t have to worry about weather for their home games. Chiefs are well coached and have had a solid defense over the past few seasons, but that offense is just so uninspiring that I have a hard time picking them. Raiders have some good young players they’ve added recently. Carr and Mack are staples on each side of the ball. Give Carr someone like Amari Cooper and they have a decent nucleus to build around in the future. I don’t expect them to challenge for the AFC West title, but I think they should get a little more credit than what they’re getting here. I fully expect them to at least split with San Diego and Kansas City this coming season.

    Broncos actually have quite a few question marks going into this coming season… Manning finishing poorly, lots of FA departures, new coaching staff, some questionable drafting the past couple seasons. It isn’t as black and white as everyone seems to believe.

  18. My prediction.
    Kubiack starts off the season telling his guys “every game is a play-off game fellers”.
    The forehead buys into it and the donkeys go 1 and 15.

  19. Wouldn’t the better question be ‘If Manning doesn’t win the division this year, what will be the most likely excuse his fan club at PFT will start using just before the end of the season?’

  21. “All of the above” button seems to be missing. Donkeys finish in the cellar this year.

  22. If you were to rephrase the question to be “Who is most likely to beat the Denver Broncos in the race to win the AFCW?” I’d have to say…the Denver Broncos.

    The Chargers and Chiefs are credible threats, don’t get me wrong. But the Chargers never seem to have quite enough going for them, and unless they have an amazing draft that’s unlikely to change. The Chiefs still have to prove they can actually beat a Manning-led Broncos team, and Maclin doesn’t scare anyone who realizes that he’s never had a 1,000 yard season under Andy Reid’s coaching.

    As for the Raiders…lol.

  23. To clarify- the Broncos will have to screw up again and again in order to lose the division. If they don’t screw themselves over, no other AFCW team is close enough to take it from them.

  25. This division is wide open. I just think Manning may really be done this time. So, he’ll likely throw 55 more TDs just to spite me for thinking that. Damn it.

  26. The Broncos have a ton of questions. That being said they will probably win the division… And then lose the next week in the wildcard round

  28. You would have to go with SD as having the best shot with KC in shooting Distance. My Team, has a new Coach, and some new Players, better Depth… Never say Never. Unlikely, Yes… But not impossible. We will though, have a say on who.

  30. Chiefs have finished 2nd in the West the past 2 years. Don’t understand how Chargers are always considered 2nd. & the Chiefs are one of the 5 YOUNGEST teams in the NFL with major cap room to sign our own over the next 3 years.

  31. It would be a little easier to tell after the draft, but at this point I’d have to say the Chargers.
    I do believe this will be the toughest season for the Broncos in a long time. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be in the hunt for the AFC West crown.
    K.C. should be hanging right in there too.
    And the Raiders?? They are going to be much improved this year, yet, winning the AFC West would be a huge step. They are well positioned in the draft and are going to come away with some very good players. They’re a long shot, but not out of the realm of possibility.

  32. The Chiefs have utilized free agency very well, to address their most pressing needs, namely: WR and the O-line. They have 10 draft picks, this year, with the supplemental picks, they tied Justin Houston up with the franchise tag and some other key players like Derrick Johnson, Jeff Allen and hopefully even Eric Berry should return healthy.

    I can see the offense expanded, with more weapons at WR, and the development of Travis Kelce, at TE. Alex Smith is a very underrated QB, who doesn’t throw many interceptions, can use his legs better than given credit for and is more accurate, both short and long, than he is recognized for. His WR’s have been in the top 3 in dropped passes, all 3 seasons he has been with the Chiefs, so some dependable hands will add to what should be a dangerous offense.

    It is very possible for Kansas City to have both a top 5 scoring offense and a top 5 scoring defense, this season (if they can escape a major injury bug). They are the only team to defeat both of this year’s Superbowl contestants, the Patriots and the Seahawks, last year and displayed the ability to beat some of the better teams in the league, after an easier schedule, in 2013.

    This is year 3 for Andy Reid and his staff, so there is familiarity with his system, continuity and the team is hungry to take the next step. The Chiefs are a team that the opposing teams won’t want to see on their schedules, this year, and I see Denver and the Chargers potentially regressing somewhat. I think the Raiders will improve and be a factor in the division games against them, and are a team that are definitely on the rise. They, like the Chiefs, just need another season or two to get all of the pieces in place.

  34. I believe that the Charger’s have just as good a chance as anyone else to win the AFC (west). I think that everybody (football fans) already knows what happened in Denver the last few seasons, especially after “SIRE” Elway broke the bank, put the organization eye brows deep in debt for the next few seasons, had to restructer more than a few players contracts just in order to have money to pay the draft rookies, all because “Sire” Elway tried to buy a Super Bowl team by bringing in a lot of big name and big money FA’s. we all seen what happened there. Now DENVER is still on the hook for some of those FA’s big contracts. IMHO, the only reason that “SIRE” Elway fired the coach was “CHA” WHEN THINGS DID NOT WORK OUT JUST LIKE “SIRE” Elway had planned it, somebody had to be the” scape goat” so that just happened to be the coach, because “SIRE ” Elway sure as heck was not going to admit that he and only he was the person that sc rewed up everything.
    “SIRE” Elway and “THE MAN” Peyton Manning both have very, very big E GO problems and neither one is going to ever admit anything when they are wrong. As for the 2015 season I believe that Denevr is going to have another repeat season and it would not matter where Peyton was there or not,(1) they will not go undefeated (2) only 1 in a 80 to win the division, 1 in 100 to make the play offs, 1 in 600 to make the Super Bowl and 1 in 2000 to win the Super Bowl. IMHO, I truly believe that this season (2015) will be Peyton’s last season in the NFL. The only reasons that Peyton even came back this season is (1) it was not about the money, it is more about (his big E- GO problem), he is hoping that Denver will make it to the Super Bowl so that he can go out as a big HERO. (2) this jut one more way (this season) for Peyton to continue to pad his stats for the NFL Hall of Fame. Nothing more or nothing less, pure and simple and if he does not make it, i will be willing to bet the farm that after this season(2015) he will walk away either way. Peyton Manning and ALL of his supporters and ALL of his fans, has to remember one thing about Peyton Manning, no matter what his stats may or may not be when he leaves the game they will be broken in the next few years, just like all of the other players stats before him have been broken so will his, also be broken. IMHO, I truly believe that if (lets say) Tom Brady does break most of Peyton’s stats and some of his recorders that will put a twist in Peyton’s shorts that will take him a very long, long, long time to get over it .

  35. Gotta go with the Chiefs. Not sure why anyone would say “The Chargers have been the most consistent”. The Chiefs have finished in 2nd place in the division the last two years under Reid while the Chargers finished third. So how is San Diego more consistent again? As for Oakland….they have the best young QB in the league? When did Oakland acquire Andrew Luck? I think Carr has a lot of potential…but his QB rating last year was basically the same as Geno Smith and Brian Hoyer. That doesn’t scream “Future Hall Of Famer” to me. He has a long way to go to be considered one of the better QB’s in the league. I like him but let’s not ascribe to him greatness he hasn’t achieved yet.

  36. I think it will be combination of the Broncos coming apart on their own, and the Chargers will have enough wins to take advantage of it. The Raiders need to prove it before I can say it. I can wish it, but I won’t say it. And the Chiefs, they had their run, Reid’s first year, and that didn’t work, so they are done for as long as that non wr td throwing checkdown charlie is at the helm of their O.

  38. The Chargers will topple the Broncos for the AFC West, and then go far into the playoffs before losing.

    The year after that, they’ll win the Super Bowl.

    For L.A.

  39. The chargers are so underrated man i find it disrespectful in a way cuz telesco & mccoy dont get enough credit for the team they’ve built, were literally gona be stacked after the draft if we dont blow it

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