With the 2024 NFL regular season around the corner, every team in the league is set to make some tough decisions, cutting down the roster to get 53 men who will start the year with Super Bowl aspirations.
However, with only so many playoff spots to secure, every team will be fighting to come out of their division as winners, or at least earn a wild card spot.
FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd gave his predictions for how each division will shake out before training camp began. Using those rankings, here is a breakdown of each team in each division, continuing with the AFC West.
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Colin says: “Kansas City until further notice. They’ve won the division eight straight times. Best coach in football, best quarterback. They get it.”
The Chiefs are in a different weight class in the division, and they keep punching down on their rivals after winning the division for the eighth straight season last year on their way to back-to-back Super Bowls.
Everyone will be talking about whether this team can become the first in league history to win three straight Lombardi Trophies, not necessarily if they will win the division because they have been that good.
First things first, though, will be nine straight titles to make another playoff run.
NFC WEST BREAKDOWN: HOW WILL THE DIVISION SHAKE OUT IN NFL SEASON?
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, yes, but there was a time during the regular season in 2023 when Patrick Mahomes’ receiving weapons were highly questioned, especially at wide receiver.
Rashee Rice came on late in the regular season in his rookie year, but players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Justin Watson just were not getting the job done. The Chiefs still found ways to win games, but there was a lot of head-scratching from head coach Andy Reid, Mahomes and Chiefs fans alike when dropped passes and mis-ran routes hurt them in-game.
Enter the speedy rookie Worthy and a dynamic receiver in Brown to hopefully give Mahomes better options this time around.
Like we said, it is a matter of the Super Bowl, not the division.
If the Chiefs miss the playoffs, it would be the NFL’s biggest shock, because they are better roster-wise than they were last season on their way to winning it all.
Mahomes has been rewriting history since he entered the league in Kansas City, and that is all they have their sights on this year with the third straight Super Bowl in mind.
WEEK 1: VS. BALTIMORE RAVENS (SEPT. 5 at 8:15 P.M.)
Colin says: “I think the Chargers have limitations on the perimeter…they might make a move, in my opinion. I’ll take them second.”
Now, because Cowherd made these predictions before the start of the regular season, he believed the Chargers would make a push for San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk amid their contract dispute. With that solved, perhaps Los Angeles will look elsewhere for receivers before the trade deadline.
However, Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL is one of the biggest storylines of the year, as he looks to turn the tides for the Chargers after a putrid 5-12 season in 2023.
It is a new look everywhere for the Chargers, but with beatable teams in the division outside the Chiefs, they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs if all goes well.
Harbaugh is the big addition for sure, but when looking at the roster, perhaps no player is more important than Ladd McConkey, the team’s second-round pick, in the receiving game.
With Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Justin Herbert’s top two options in past seasons on the perimeter, gone, someone will need to step up at receiver. The Chargers had Joshua Palmer on the roster, and D.J. Chark came in via free agency, but McConkey is someone who has been turning some heads at training camp.
The crops route runner had a great career in Georgia, and now he could become Herbert’s safety blanket in this new offense under OC Greg Roman.
He is coming off an undefeated, national championship-winning season with the Michigan Wolverines and joins a roster with questions at multiple positions. However, some believe he has enough to make a run in the AFC Wild Card race.
First, Herbert is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. Then, the addition of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins fits well for a run-heavy team Harbaugh usually likes. On defense, players like Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Derwin James Jr. make for a solid bunch to rally around.
Harbaugh is a leader of men, which is well documented no matter where he has coached. Can he rally the Chargers into a group that becomes formidable again right away, or will it take time? The Chargers signed him long-term, but he would love to see success sooner rather than later.
NFC EAST BREAKDOWN: HOW WILL DIVISION SHAKE OUT IN 2024 NFL SEASON?
WEEK 1: VS. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (SEPT. 8 at 4:05 P.M.)
Colin says: “I like the Broncos more than Vegas, but [Pro Football Focus] says [the] worst roster in the league.”
Sean Payton had a full-blown quarterback battle this training camp, and the 12th overall pick, Bo Nix, proved worthy of his draft stock as he won that battle.
However, does Nix have enough around him to turn around this Broncos offense? Is the roster as a whole enough to compete in 2024? The Broncos will be answering those questions soon.
The Russell Wilson era in Denver was short-lived, and the break-up was contentious, as Payton could not move forward with him under center in his offense.
Enter Nix, who shined with Oregon in a season when he was finally healthy enough to put up some big numbers. He impressed Payton as he battled against Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham for the starting role, and the head coach believes he gives Denver the best chance to win in 2024.
Nix has shown a propensity to be accurate all over the field, possessing the arm strength to fit balls into tight windows and get them downfield when his guy is open for the big play. Nix had a 76.7 completion rate (23-for-30) in his preseason work with 205 passing yards and two touchdowns thrown.
The offense has a solid running back in Javonte Williams, and Courtland Sutton is a good top receiver. However, with a rookie quarterback and mediocre secondary options in the pass game, there are not many who are high on the Broncos’ offensive output in 2024.
On defense, Denver employs perhaps the best cornerback in the league, Pat Surtain II, but will the Broncos have a good pass rush? Can they hold it down outside Surtain in the secondary?
The Broncos are trying to build something to compete in the AFC, but it may not be this year to realize their potential.
WEEK 1: @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (SEPT. 8 at 4:05 P.M.)
Colin says: “Raiders fourth. They’ve got a rookie coach and quarterback issues.”
The Raiders saw a bit of rejuvenated energy when Josh McDaniels was relieved of his duties as head coach last season, and Antonio Pierce took over on an interm basis.
Now, Pierce dropped the interim tag after being named full-time head coach after the Raiders’ coaching search, and they are looking to keep the vibes high.
However, to Cowherd’s quarterback issues, Gardner Minshew was named starter over second-year signal caller Aidan O’Connell, yet some believe Minshew is more of a great backup than a true starter in the NFL. Can the Raiders, armed with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers and others, get the right production from him?
The Raiders’ first-round pick shined at Georgia with his abilities as the modern tight end – someone who can pancake linebackers in the blocking game, while making big catches no matter the down.
What Las Vegas needs is playmakers outside Adams, and while players like running back Zamir White, who will have an elevated role this season, and Meyers have done well to make big plays last season, Brock Bowers could be someone that quickly finds chemistry with Minshew at the short and intermediate levels to pick up first downs and score.
On paper, Bowers has the measurable and highlight reels that show he can make an immediate impact for the Raiders. If they wish to look at the playoffs, having solid production out of him will be vital.
BIGGEST QUESTION: CAN MINSHEW HOLD THE JOB?
One of the main problems for the Raiders last season was quarterback, to the point where Adams admitted that, if Jimmy Garoppolo was not benched, he was not going to be a happy man.
The Raiders do not want to see the same thing happen this season, so it is up to Minshew, who played very well for the Indianapolis Colts when rookie Anthony Richardson went down for the year with a shoulder injury, to hold on to that quarterback job.
Get the ball to Adams, who is always open. Pick up those first downs and short touchdowns with your legs like we’ve saw last season. Minshew has the talent, but the consistency is what the Raiders really need.
WEEK 1: @ LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (SEPT. 8 at 4:05 P.M.)
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