AFC West power rankings: Broncos' defense is changing things in the division

Week 5 in the NFL provided some amazing moments and wild finishes. Some teams are still in the waiting stage of finding out their true identity. Elsewhere, some squads are starting to find themselves and feel themselves accordingly.

In the AFC West, two teams had convincing victories over the weekend. Some individual improvements and changes from units on both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos are giving each of their fan bases something to cheer about.

On the other hand, one AFC West team is swimming in mediocrity. That is due to the play on the field. That is due to outside factors concerning business off the field. For that team, the Las Vegas Raiders, it just seems like the rest of this season is growing obsolete. Are they already looking ahead to next year and the future?

How do the AFC West power ranking stack up after Week 5? Here is where things stand for the teams in the division.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

It was arguably the most complete game of the season for the Kansas City Chiefs so far. Patrick Mahomes looked more settled and comfortable against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Travis Kelce is still showing he has what it takes to be relied upon. Both Kareem Hunt and JuJu Smith-Schuster turned back the clock to produce vintage performances. And once again, the Chiefs made life miserable for Derek Carr when coming to Arrowhead, outside of one particular play.

The Chiefs have to feel proud of that performance entering their early bye week. They are 5-0 and are finding different ways to win. Even if all of the victories have not been pretty, the rest of the league has to be fearful of what Kansas City could be if the offense can remain steady.

2. Denver Broncos

We flipped the Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West power rankings for this week. It is not so much that the Chargers have massive questions at this point in time. They still have some small ones. Nonetheless, it is impressive to see what Denver has done the last few weeks. Their defense is for real. Led by a pass rush that is consistently getting home and a superstar cornerback in Patrick Surtain II, they made the Raiders leave as discouraged as ever.

Offensively, Denver is nothing special, yet Bo Nix has shown some flashes of getting the ball out on time more often and delivering on some anticipatory throws. His touchdown to Josh Reynolds on Sunday was a great example. The Broncos may not be mistaken as a serious playoff contender yet. However, Denver is finding ways to come through as a largely complete team when others are struggling across the league.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers were not seen over the weekend, as they were on their bye week. LA has an interesting few games on tap after the week off. Two straight road games against Denver and the Arizona Cardinals will be followed by a home game against the New Orleans Saints. All three teams will lean on different elements to attack the Chargers. In the end, Los Angeles is looking to avoid a third-straight loss in Denver this Sunday. Can they avoid having to crawl out of an early hole this upcoming week?

4. Las Vegas Raiders

As mentioned earlier, nothing is going right for the Raiders, whether on the field or off of it. The QB spot is completely unsettled, with some fans wondering if Las Vegas will find their next answer via the upcoming draft. Davante Adams appears to be done wearing the silver and black. And after the team rode the finish of Antonio Pierce last year, you have to wonder how he will handle things moving forward if the outlook continues to get bleak.

The Raiders will host a Pittsburgh Steelers squad that has lost two straight this week. Pittsburgh rarely lights up the scoreboard at a high clip. If there is a silver lining for Vegas right now, this contest may be close in the fourth quarter, allowing them a chance to steal one for their third victory.