Anthony Lynn: Chiefs, not Chargers, team to beat in AFC West

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn says the Kansas City Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC West.

This is the third consecutive offseason that someone other than the Kansas City Chiefs is expected to be the head of the class in the AFC West. Every new draft and free agent signing period brings renewed hope (and predictions) of supremacy for the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. So far, the Chiefs have done well to put those away by dominating their rivals over the last few years.

This year, the Chargers are earning rave reviews for their offseason plan, especially after a draft class that makes their defense appear to be an elite unit—at least on paper. Philip Rivers is always going to be taken seriously by analysts, and their offense has plenty of firepower to keep up with the NFL’s best offenses.

All of this together is why the Chargers are this year’s darling in the West. Yet Anthony Lynn, the team’s head coach, believes the only results that matter come on the field and he rightfully acknowledges the Chiefs as the ones in the way for the Bolts.

"“We know Kansas City won this division, they had a good draft, they brought in some key free agents. To me, that’s still the team to beat in this division. Until we beat Kansas City, we can’t even talk about playoffs and things like that.”"

The Chiefs have won the last two division titles—their first consecutive titles in team history—yet they completely reinvented their defense and promoted a new starting quarterback this offseason. Those changes are enough to make pundits believe the West could be ready for a regime change. Yet Andy Reid’s presence as head coach remains a steadying force in the midst of such seismic changes. It’s also true that this plan of succession has been in place for a very long time.