Denver Broncos are the least scary team in the AFC West

There was a time when the Denver Broncos ruled the roost known as the AFC West. For the Kansas City Chiefs, the Peyton Manning era was a frustrating time that culminated in the Broncos winning Super Bowl 50. In hindsight, the fact that it only lasted 4 years is crazy because, at the time, it felt like forever.

Ever since then, Denver has largely been an afterthought in the division. Since Manning retired, the Broncos have cycled through numerous head coaches and even more quarterbacks. All the while the Chiefs have dominated their way to 8 straight division titles, 4 Super Bowls, and 3 Super Bowl wins.

Unlike the Broncos, the Chiefs have had just one head coach (Andy Reid) and basically one quarterback (but shout out to Alex Smith for his formative role in the dynasty).

The Denver Broncos officially released quarterback Russell Wilson, setting them back even further in the division for years to come.

Unfortunately for Denver, the cycle continued on Monday when they released quarterback Russell Wilson. Unlike the other dozen quarterbacks they've been through over the past decade, this particular one is extra painful.

Russell was hailed as the savior in Mile High two seasons ago when the Seattle Seahawks fleeced Denver in what became one of the worst trades since Herschel Walker. What Denver didn't expect was Wilson's fall in production combined with a questionable head coaching hire in Nathanial Hackett followed by Sean Payton.

The Payton hire/trade may not be the worst decision, but his impatience with Wilson doomed any hope that the quarterback could be salvaged with the team. Now, the Broncos are on the hook for an ungodly $85 million over the next two years just to watch Wilson probably play for a different team.

To say this sets the team back for another couple of years seems like an understatement. Payton must be praying they hit on a rookie quarterback to give them a fighting chance, but their prospects in the West are not looking great.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have to be loving this. The Broncos briefly made some noise this past season when they ended "the streak" by beating the Chiefs, but so did the Raiders. The Chiefs still ended up hoisting the Lombardi. If Denver thinks it can build on that momentum and consistently beat the Chiefs, they have to be delusional.

I don't know who a bigger threat to the Chiefs in the division is between the Broncos and Raiders, but I don't think anyone at One Arrowhead Drive is quaking in their boots. Now the Los Angeles Chargers? They can worry me. But that's for another story.

Today, I genuinely feel bad for the Broncos fans out there. Broncos Country, let's hide. Because a few more seasons of Chiefs' dominance is on the way.