NFL standings: Broncos gain ground on Chiefs in AFC West
By Matt Conner
The Denver Broncos are taking advantage of the Kansas City Chiefs two-game losing streak with consecutive wins to gain ground in the AFC West.
Through the first four weeks of the 2019 regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs were gifted the AFC West. Not only did the Chiefs themselves sweep their first four opponents to remain one of the league’s only unbeaten teams, but the rest of the division tanked in completely unexpected ways.
Ever since the first month of the season, the Chiefs fortunes have dipped almost as low as their division rivals. Somehow, however, the rest of the West has yet to take full advantage of the Chiefs’ current free fall. While a bye week has gotten in the way for the Oakland Raiders, the Chargers continue to lose and everyone remains at least a half game behind if not much more.
The Broncos have won two straight games at the same time the Chiefs have lost consecutive contests, which means K.C.’s lead is down to two games over Denver and Los Angeles. Oakland is only behind by a half game, but the Chiefs did win their first showdown of the season which gives them a leg up in the standings since a tiebreaker is head-to-head contests.
The Broncos and Chiefs kick off the NFL schedule in Week 7 with a Thursday Night Football game in just a few days. It’s a short turnaround with major stakes. With a win, the West will be up for grabs for nearly any team and the Chiefs will be searching for major answers. The Broncos meanwhile will gain a ton of confidence in the leadership of Vic Fangio.
Before things get underway, here’s a look at how things stand in the AFC West after Week 6.