While the Chiefs Enjoy a Bye Week, the Rest of the AFC West Has Plenty to Prove

The Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0 and the only undefeated team still standing in the AFC. That, of course, means the Chiefs are in command of the AFC West while the Las Vegas Raiders try to hold on to their second-place standing and the Denver Broncos look to improve on their .500 start.

Oh, and the Los Angeles Chargers would probably like to win a game sooner rather than later, too.

With the Chiefs enjoying their bye week, let's take a look at Sunday's pair of games containing AFC West squads, plus two primetime matchups with other AFC contenders.

Las Vegas Raiders (3-1) at New England Patriots (2-2)

The Raiders acquited themselves admirably against the Chiefs last week, taking their first loss of the season in decidedly un-Raider-y fashion. (Un-Raider-y isn't a word, but you know what it means!) In some ways, I'm more convinced that the Raiders are a legitimate playoff-adjacent team now than I was before their loss to the Chiefs. However, they're not getting a break from their upcoming schedule anytime soon.

Las Vegas gets the New England Patriots in Foxborough this week before hosting the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams in the next two weeks. The Raiders don't need to win all of those games to retain their new semi-contender status, but they can't lose four consecutive games and still be taken seriously in the second half of the year.

New England, on the other hand, is coming off an impressive win over the Bills in Buffalo last weekend, stabilizing the team after a blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.

The Raiders may still be a year of progress away from true contention, but Chiefs fans should obviously be pulling for the Patriots in this one.

Denver Broncos (2-2) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-4)

Meanwhile, in Denver...

these posts came a week apart

life comes at you fast and all that pic.twitter.com/pVD2tc26og
— Bird Law Expert 🇺🇦 (@RealBirdLawyer) October 5, 2026

Even with impressive home victories over the Jaguars and Rams in Weeks 2 and 3, the vibes around quarterback Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense seem to have taken a considerable shift after last week's loss at the San Francisco 49ers. For what it's worth, I still think the Broncos are the second-best squad in the division and should be expected to return to the playoffs again this season, but that confidence would be severely shaken if the winless Chargers can pull off the upset in LA.

The Chargers have been one of the biggest disappointments in all of football this season, and they're running out of time to do something about it. After hosting the Broncos, the Chargers will head to Kansas City in Week 6 before "visiting" the Rams after their Week 7 bye. If there's any life left in the Chargers at all, they'll need to prove it against Denver.

Not that Chiefs fans need my guidance here, but a Chargers win would be good for both the Chiefs' lead over the Broncos and for a week of NFL comedy.

Elsewhere in the AFC, Ravens and Bills will be tested in primetime

Beyond the AFC West, two of the Chiefs' top AFC rivals will go up against a pair of 2-2 NFC teams in primetime. The Baltimore Ravens (3-1) will face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, while the Bills (3-1) will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams for a Monday night showdown.

It's far too early in the year to be seriously considering playoff seeding, but any extra wiggle room for the Chiefs' hunt for the No. 1 seed would be beneficial, especially with Kansas City's Thanksgiving showdown with the Bills looming large.

Chiefs fans should enjoy the experience of rooting for Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in their new homes on Monday Night Football while pulling for the Falcons to take a game from Baltimore on Sunday night.

Happy Championship Sunday! pic.twitter.com/Mw7LIStU11
— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) January 25, 2026

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