AFC West
The AFC West is the new AFC East. It’s the division with the best quarterback in football with three other teams that are trying to simply compete. It’s tough to say that any team other than the Chiefs is a lock for the playoffs in 2020.
The Chiefs are going to run it back and will be the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl entering the season. They have everything they need and by that, I mean Patrick Mahomes. Chris Jones will be there for at least another year. There’s no real contender to take over the AFC West crown.
The Chargers have the defense to do well, but their offense is going into rebuild mode. Tyrod Taylor is a perfectly fine quarterback, but he’s not winning a playoff game. Kennan Allen is another year older. Hunter Henry was franchised but has a history of injuries. It’s great that Austin Ekeler got paid this offseason, but he’s going to need some help in the backfield.
The Raiders are loading up for a playoff run and now it’s time to figure out if Derek Carr is the answer or not. This may be his shot to prove he is the quarterback that led the Raiders to the playoffs a few years ago and not the one who has a crazy good completion percentage buy an average yard per completion that wouldn’t pick up a first down in three attempts.
The Broncos feel like they are in a weird holding pattern. Drew Lock could be the answer. If he takes a big step in 2020, the Broncos could be back in the playoff race. We just don’t know if they are going to do that. Otherwise, the Broncos could look exactly like they have the past few years which is a middle of the road team.