AFC West 2022 Division Winner Odds
Only one division of the AFC conference left to evaluate in our 2022 NFL Guide. The AFC West with the Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers and Broncos is a tough division with overall strong teams who could all be potential contenders for the playoffs. We’re going to analyze the teams closer, do an AFC West prediction and give you the best AFC West odds as well as discussing whether or not each team can reach its total projection.
If you want to find information on previous divisions in our 2022 NFC Guide, take a look at them here:
AFC East Divisional Guide
AFC North Divisional Guide
AFC South Divisional Guide
AFC West Division Winner Odds
Kansas City Chiefs +150
Los Angeles Chargers +250
Denver Broncos +260
Las Vegas Raiders +600
Kansas City Chiefs
In a division with all the big guns, the Chiefs can be said to be the real heavyweight. Despite having one of, if not the toughest, playing schedule of all teams in the NFL, the Kansas CIty Chiefs led by Mahone will probably be weighted as favorites in most of the games. The Chiefs squad is impressive and it’s hard to find any real weakness as they should be able to bring down whatever gets thrown upon them. We all remember how close they were to reach the Super Bowl last year. If it hadn't been for McPherson’s field goal in overtime against the Browns in the conference final, they would most likely have been lining up at the SoFi Stadium versus the Rams.
While it’s hard to point out a decisive period of the Chiefs upcoming season, week 11 to 14 could prove to be a season definer. DUring this period, the Chiefs will play three out of four games on the road and against opposition close as strong as themselves. Starting off with the matchup against the Chargers and then the Rams, Bengals and Broncos is a massive test for any team. The Chiefs do, however, have the strength and qualities to hold off any opposition team in this league and it’s going to be interesting to see whether they can make it over 10.5 wins or not with a playing schedule working against them. We believe they have just what it takes and wouldn’t be surprised if we find the Chiefs in next year’s Super Bowl.
Win total projection:
Over 10.5 (-115)
Under 10.5 (-105)
Chiefs Schedule (TV- & Live Streaming Info)
Los Angeles Chargers
The big spender in the division, Los Angeles Chargers, have been active this offseason in their attempt to strengthen the team and do a real push to reach the later stages of the playoffs. Three arrivals that stand out are Mike Williams, J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack from the Chicago Bears. The Chargers have put a lot of hope into these players and the plan is to get them going as soon as possible in order to make themselves a competitive team in one of the most challenging divisions in the league.
The Chargers last season were normally an entertaining team to watch. Plenty of their games ended with high-scoring results and as good as their offense was, nearly as shaky was their defense at times. If they manage to shape the defense up without losing offensive efficiency, then they will have a good chance of making something interesting out of this season.
The AFC West division is extremely challenging, nevertheless difficult to predict. The Chargers win total projection of 10.5 is tough to reach and there’s plenty of work to be done. However, we like what we have seen so far this offseason with some interesting names coming in. It will all come down to how fast they can get the team together and given that their opening stretch of games doesn't look too bad, they might have the perfect start to hit the ground running.
We believe the Chargers will just manage to reach over 10 wins which would be a small improvement from last season’s 9-8 record.
Win total projection:
Over 10.5 (+120)
Under 10.5 (-145)
Chargers Schedule (TV- & Live Streaming Info)
Denver Broncos
The Broncos finished bottom of the AFC West division last year thus we can expect a highly motivated team to come out this season aiming towards way higher ground. The recruitment of quarterback Russell Wilson is one we recommend everyone to keep an extra eye on since it has every possibility of becoming a make it or break it deal. If the arrival of Wilson turns out to be as good as we’re thinking it can be, then the Broncos will definitely be a team for the later stages of the playoffs. With the Buccaneers and the Rams quarterback recruitments and the following results fresh in mind, who knows how far this can take the Broncos.
As the bottom ranked team from last season, the Broncos will furthermore have a relatively comfortable playing schedule compared to their division opponents. Like the bookmakers who’re ranking the Broncos as the third-favorite to win the Super Bowl in the AFC Conference, we believe that there are a number of things speaking in the favor of the Broncos this season.
The opening stretch of games for the Broncos doesn’t look too troublesome and we expect them to hit at least seven wins after the first 12 weeks. Then there are just four wins left to reach their total win projection of 10.5 and with plenty of favorable matchups left there should be enough room to get over the line.
Win total projection:
Over 10.5 (+130)
Under 10.5 (-160)
Broncos Schedule (TV- & Live Streaming Info)
Las Vegas Raiders
The fourth and final team out of the AFC West is the Las Vegas Raiders. A new-built side where a new GM (Dave Ziegler) and head coach (Josh McDaniels) have joined during the offseason and therefore we shouldn’t expect the Raiders to look like a well organized team from the start. Lots of new things will be implemented and the 2022 season is probably not the season when we see miracles from the Raiders, even though they already bolster a competitive lineup.
What’s going to make it really difficult for the Raiders this season is the playing schedule which is, to be fair, extremely challenging. With the third-toughest schedule of all teams in the league when ranking their opponents' win total projection, the Raiders have an immense task ahead of them if they are going to reach the playoffs. Even more so when considering the other teams in the AFC West that they will have to overcome.
With that being said, we feel comfortable picking the under here as the competition will be too hard and competitive for the Raiders to reach over 8.5 wins. You find this bet at BetMGM under AFC West odds, currently at -120.
Win total projection:
Over 8.5 (-110)
Under 8.5 (-110)
Raiders Schedule (TV- & Live Streaming Info)
AFC West Odds
One of the most difficult divisions to predict is the AFC West where each of the four teams have a reasonable chance of winning the division. When looking at BetMGM and the AFC West division winner odds we think that the Chargers (+250) is an interesting take, considering how they have strenghtend their team during offseason. Find this and more odds on the AFC West division at BetMGM.
Author: Dan Anderson