AFC West standings: Chiefs close gap on some rivals in Week 8

The Kansas City Chiefs have to be thankful they were able to face the NFC East this season because those non-conference matchups are helping to keep the team’s chances afloat so far in the 2021 regular season.

On Monday Night Football, the Chiefs played yet another primetime game, and this time they came away with a win over the visiting New York Giants. It was the least convincing win that the Chiefs could have possibly put together, but they’re 4-4 all the same and that’s the only thing that matters in the ultimate scheme of things.

Coming into their Week 8 contest, the Chiefs were tied with the Denver Broncos in the divisional basement and that is still technically true. However, being in last place in the AFC West is different than other divisions given the level of competition. Every team is at .500 or better and the Broncos are still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot (despite having traded away Von Miller) with their win over the Washington Football Team on Sunday.

The Chiefs gained a bit of ground on the Chargers in the competitive AFC West in Week 8.

As for the divisional rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders still sit atop the standings after sitting for a week with their bye. The Raiders have to be pleased with the results on the week, even if the bottom two teams did win, as the Chargers fell to the New England Patriots. The Raiders now have a 1.5 game edge over the next closest team and sit in complete control of their own destiny. The real question for the Raiders going forward is how well they can keep things up in the wake of Jon Gruden’s exit. Is this momentary momentum or a long-last positive change?

As for the Chargers, they face some questions after coming out of their bye with a loss to Bill Belichick and company, but the schedule for the next few weeks looks fairly easy with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos coming up. Given that they also face the Giants and the Houston Texans, the Chargers might have the easiest path forward of all the AFC West teams, which means K.C. (and others) must take care of business in head-to-head matchups.

Here’s an official look at the AFC WEST standings after Week 7.

1. Las Vegas Raiders – 5-2
2. L.A. Chargers – 4-4
3. Kansas City Chiefs – 4-4
4. Denver Broncos – 4-4

As for the rest of the AFC, here are the standings in the conference’s other divisions:

AFC EAST

1. Buffalo Bills – 5-2
2. New England Patriots – 4-4
3. New York Jets – 2-5
4. Miami Dolphins – 1-7

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens – 5-2
2. Cincinnati Bengals – 5-3
3. Pittsburgh Steelers – 4-3
4. Cleveland Browns – 4-4

AFC SOUTH

1. Tennessee Titans – 6-2
2. Indianapolis Colts – 3-5
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – 1-6
4. Houston Texans – 1-7