NFL standings: AFC West is already separating after Week 1
With the first week of the 2022 NFL season in the rearview mirror, what do the AFC standings as well as the AFC West standings look like?
The 2022 NFL season is finally here and the first week of games the year has come and gone. There were some upsets and a couple of blowouts in Week 1, so how do both the conference and AFC West standings look?
One of the most anticipated games of the opening week was the Las Vegas Raiders visiting the L.A. Chargers. Like every intra-divisional game, that game could very well have ramifications down the road when deciding who makes the playoffs and maybe even who wins the division. The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos opened their season with inter-conference battles.
Here is how the AFC West standings look after Week 1.
1. team. 13. . 1-0. . Los Angeles Chargers
. Kansas City Chiefs. 2. team. 124. . 1-0
Denver Broncos. 3. team. 45. . 0-1.
Las Vegas Raiders. 4. team. 28. . 0-1.
According to FiveThirtyEight (QB Adjusted), prior to Week 1, the Chiefs were the slight favorites to win the AFC West with a 37% chance to take home the crown. The Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders followed at 28%, 22%, and 13%, respectively. After Monday, the Chiefs are still the favorites at 51%, followed by the Chargers at 30%, Broncos at 13%, and finally the Raiders at 6%.
There was nothing too shocking in the games involving AFC West teams. The Chargers beat the Raiders as Justin Herbert looked good while Derek Carr threw three interceptions. The Chiefs looked as good as ever on offense while their defense played extremely well before garbage time. The Broncos were stunned by the Seahawks in Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle. They started the season with a loss after the Broncos mishandled the very end of the game.
The best game of the entire Week 2 slate, in my opinion, is the Thursday Night Football game when the Los Angeles travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Both teams are 1-0 heading into the game and the winner has the leg up on the other until the two teams meet again in Week 11.
The Chiefs are rightly the favorites to win the division after this week but the Chargers should give them a huge fight to the very end. The game on Thursday Night will be huge in determining who gets the AFC West crown.