Examining 2020 AFC West Win Totals

The regular season win totals have been released for the four AFC West teams and we seem to have a clear-cut pattern. It’s clear the oddsmakers think the Kansas City Chiefs are the team to beat as their regular season win total sits at 11.5. However, who’s the second-best team in this division? Each of the other three teams are facing a win total of 7.5.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 11.5

Led by superstar quarterback MVP Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs come into the 2020-21 season with a win total at 11.5. This comes in just a half game shy of their win totals the last two seasons, ending the regular season with 12 wins in both 2019 and 2020. The Chiefs made a couple huge leaps last season and while they were great on offense once again, the defense and secondary was noticeably better. Kansas City went from bottom half in almost every category to eighth in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed. They won 11 games last year even with Mahomes going down for a couple of games, so now that they are building a better defense and don’t have to worry about Tom Brady in the AFC, they should get to 12 once again.

DENVER BRONCOS

REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 7.5

After winning five games in 2017 and six games in 2018, Denver won seven games last season behind a solid 4-1 end to the season. While rookie Drew Lock was able to prove himself a bit over that stretch, it’s still up in the air whether or not he is the quarterback of the future. The defense was Top 10 last year in points per game allowed and added some nice pieces in the offseason like Jurrell Casey and cornerback A.J. Bouye. On offense, they signed Melvin Gordon for the backfield but they need more targets for Lock to work with. They’ll probably address the position in the 2020 NFL Draft.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 7.5

L.A. is headed into uncharted territory as they will be without their captain and starting quarter Philip Rivers for the first time in 15 years. This leaves Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback but many expect them to look else for quarterback options. They own the sixth pick in the upcoming draft, making all quarterbacks except for consensus number one pick Joe Burrow a potential option, and there are several starting-caliber quarterbacks on the market with guys like Jameis Winston and Cam Newton still unsigned. Los Angeles also has a couple of young defensive studs anchoring the defense in Joey Bosa and Derwin James, and they added Chris Harris and Linval Joseph in free agency. With several stars on offense, including Keenan Allen and Austin Eckler, they should be able to make some noise this year and beat win eight or more games if they find a serviceable quarterback (or if Taylor is that guy).

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 7.5

The Raiders followed up Jon Gruden’s unsuccessful first year returning to the franchise with an improved 7-9 season. However, the record doesn’t represent how their season played out, which saw them following up a 6-4 start with a 1-5 finish. Now located in Las Vegas, the Raiders will look to build upon the strengths they did have, most of which came in the form of young stars like Josh Jacobs, Clelin Ferrell, and Trayvon Mullen. Derek Carr had another shaky season, one that could lead to a quarterback competition between him and the newly-signed Marcus Mariota. They’ve been active in the offseason, adding guys like Cory Littleton, Nick Kwiatkowski, Carl Nassib and Maliek Collins on defense, while signing Nelson Agholor, Jason Witten and Mariota for the offense. With a pair of first-round picks to boot, this team is no longer short on talent.

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