Bolts From The Blue
It has been 15 years since the Chargers have won the AFC West. When they last did so in 2009, they were the San Diego Chargers, and before the Denver Broncos landed Payton Manning and the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes II and began their reign of terror.
The Chiefs and Broncos have been the sole division winners since 2009, with Chiefs winning it in 2010, before a five-year streak by the Broncos, followed by nine straight division championships for Kansas City. The odds once again favor the Chiefs, followed by the Broncos, then Chargers.
But after the preseason and on the cusp of the 2025 NFL regular season, the folks at FanDuel Sportsbook have the odds for who may conquer what may be the toughest division in the NFL.
FanDuel Sportsbook is conducting FanDuel Futures Day on Tuesday, August 26, where you can get profit boost tokens around various futures markets throughout the day. The markets will be split up throughout the day, but they will include odds to win the Super Bowl and hypothetical Super Bowl matchups, odds to make or miss the playoffs, win totals, division winners, and player milestones. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook on Tuesday to take advantage of FanDuel Futures Day.
AFC West Winner Odds
The Chiefs, obviously, are the favorites until proven otherwise. With their team — from Head Coach Andy Reid on down — they have the benefit of all benefits. But narrowly behind them are the Broncos and Chargers. The gap between second and third is a narrow 20 difference. The opportunity is there for the Chargers.
Thoughts on the AFC West’s Preseason
The Chargers showed a lot of excellence in the preseason. The secondary had top performers across the board with undrafted rookies and long-time veterans. Without their starters, Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter’s defense was a dynamo. The top three tacklers in the preseason were all Chargers (Emany Johnson, 22; Trikweze Bridges, 20; Marlowe Wax, 20).
The Chargers in the preseason allowed 18.3 PPG. And the majority of those came in their fourth contest, with critical turnover errors by their QB4 and fourth-quarter players gave away the football. In the first half of games:
By and large, the Chargers were excellent with their top depth competitors. When the real talent is on the field, they should deliver.
The Broncos’ were excellent in the preseason. The offense had the second-most passing yards of any team. Scored 28.3 PPG, tied for No. 4 in the preseason. They look… good. Defeating the Chiefs’ good? That can’t be measured in the preseason. But, they look good.
The Chiefs are the Chiefs. The Raiders are the Raiders.
