The Kansas City Chiefs went into Seattle 5-0 and unfortunately emerged with their first loss of the 2026 campaign. It was a pretty brutal loss, as the Seahawks roughed up the Chiefs, chewing them up and spitting them out.
That said, it was still just one game of the six they've played so far. And when looking at the AFC West as a whole, the Chiefs still look like the best team out of the bunch. Of course, next week's matchup against the Broncos in Denver will give us a better view of how this season could ultimately turn out.
For now, though, the Chiefs still hold a lead in the division at 5-1, with the Broncos behind them at 5-2 (though having played one more game), the Raiders in third with a 3-4 record, and the Chargers in dead last at 0-6.
Those are the official standings but is that how the division would shake out in a power ranking? Let's find out.
How badly did Chiefs' first loss hurt K.C. in AFC West rankings?
4. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)
This has to be where the Chargers slot in. They're the only team in the NFL to have not won a game yet this season, and it's not even like it's bad luck that's ailed them to this point. The Chargers are just bad.
Chiefs fans saw this firsthand in Week 6 when K.C. didn't play its best ball yet still managed to win by double digits over the hapless Chargers. Mike McDaniel was supposed to come in and make the Chargers' offense one of the scariest in the league, but the only terror is Chargers fans being forced to watch the unit underperform week after week.
Justin Herbert looks awful, and Jim Harbaugh seemed to be at a loss for words after the team dropped to 0-6. For those who have watched Harbaugh throughout his coaching career, he's rarely at a loss for words, so that goes to show just how poorly things are going in Los Angeles at the moment.
If the season ended today, the Chargers would hold the No. 1 pick in next year's draft, so that's something for the Bolts fan base to look forward to.
Next game: at Rams (3-4)
3. Las Vegas Raiders (3-4)
Remember when the Raiders were 3-0 and people were starting to buy into them? Well, life came at them fast, didn't it? The Raiders have now lost four games in a row, and the calls for first overall pick Fernando Mendoza are growing louder.
It was pretty common knowledge that we were going to find out how for real the Raiders were during this current stretch they're on. The answer, clearly, is not very for real.
The thing to remember with the Raiders is that they're led by a first-year head coach in Klint Kubiak and are likely going to hand the keys to the car over to their first overall pick, a rookie quarterback, soon. That's going to lead to some growing pains that could either be for the better or for the worse. Chiefs fans hope it's the latter.
Next game: at Jets (2-5)
2. Denver Broncos (5-2)
This could end up changing next week depending on how the Chiefs-Broncos rematch goes in Week 8, but right now, the Broncos have more losses than K.C. and have looked lost more often. That puts them firmly in the No. 2 spot in these rankings.
Maybe the Broncos could be higher up on this list with a better quarterback, but unfortunately for them, Bo Nix is still their quarterback, and he has not played well. The team is winning games in spite of him, and that's not going to be able to continue for long.
Either Nix starts to play better and the Broncos overtake the Chiefs in the AFC West, or he continues to be the reason their games are close in the first place and K.C. can keep them firmly in the rearview mirror.
Hopefully, the Chiefs can rebound and take it to the Broncos again in Week 8 like they did in Week 1 so that fan base can't hang their hats on anything. Some Broncos fans might feel like Denver should be in front after how Week 7 went, but losing to the Seahawks is a respectable result, while the Broncos beat a bad Cardinals team. They've also already lost to Kansas City.
Next game: vs. Chiefs (5-1)
1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
Yes, the Chiefs are coming off a rough loss, but at the end of the day, they're the better team. For one, they already beat the Broncos and did so in blowout fashion. Their one loss came to a very good Seahawks team that was in desperate need of a win.
The Chiefs were cruising through their first five games with Kenneth Walker leading the way for the most part. Patrick Mahomes made a few clutch throws here and there, and the defense did just enough to help this team get to a 5-0 start.
Some might say that the Broncos' roster is overall better than K.C.'s, but the Chiefs certainly have more star power. At the end of the day, those stars are who will be counted on to take this team to 2-0 against Denver and 4-0 in the division next weekend.
Next game: at Broncos (5-2)
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