After an unexpected start to the 2026 NFL season, which saw the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs as the early frontrunners ahead of a struggling Denver Broncos squad and a downright lost Los Angeles Chargers team, the balance has been somewhat restored over the last few weeks.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have remained on top while the Broncos have rebounded quite well from their tepid 2-2 beginning, all the while the Silver and Black have lost three in a row, and the Chargers are arguably the worst, or at least the most disjointed, program in the entire league.
The AFC West really has it all after the first third of the campaign - Super Bowl favorites, playoff hopefuls, an emerging young team that could go either way, and a train wreck that people can't keep their eyes off. Let's take a look around the division following the Week 6 action.
Week 6 AFC West roundup: Raiders lose third straight, Chiefs dominate Chargers, Broncos
Here are the current standings in the AFC West:
Kansas City Chiefs 5-0
Denver Broncos 4-2
Las Vegas Raiders 3-3
Los Angeles Chargers 0-6
Of course, Las Vegas tragically fell to the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday by a score of 33-30. It was much of the same for the Raiders' offense: Kirk Cousins played well but wasn't transformational, the run game didn't get going, and it was the tight end and Tre Tucker show through the air.
Defensively, Rob Leonard's group actually made Josh Allen look human, with a relatively mundane 255 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and they limited him to one rushing yard on five attempts and sacked him twice. But the run game dominated, and the Bills put 33 on the board.
This young Raiders team is at an early crossroads, as they started 3-0 and now sit at 3-3 with a brutal stretch of their schedule on the horizon. Can they take care of a wounded Los Angeles Rams team at Allegiant Stadium in Week 7? Can they steal a road game against the New York Jets in Week 8?
The answers to these questions will say a lot about the direction of the team, and they will decide how John Spytek and the front office operate at the deadline. But there is no playing from in front anymore or keeping pace for the Silver and Black. They must now play catch-up.
On Thursday Night Football, Denver treated everyone to an absolute stinker of a primetime game against the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the Broncos' defense looked good, but Sam Darnold is also just very bad without Klint Kubiak whispering sweet songs into his ear.
And Bo Nix is a shell of his former self, with his inability (and unwillingness) to push the ball downfield or scramble and make off-script plays. Switching back to Sean Payton as the offensive play-caller hasn't done much good, although the team has won both games. I'm still not a believer in this team.
Kansas City took care of a pitiful and injured Chargers team on Sunday, mercifully beating them 22-6. Mahomes didn't have a great game, but Kenneth Walker III is a man possessed, and Steve Spagnuolo and his unit terrorized Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel.
Changes simply must be on the horizon for Los Angeles as they enter the bye week, and McDaniel looks like the obvious scapegoat. If nothing changes, that's fine for Raider Nation, as the Chargers are 0-6 with three tough games coming up after their much-needed break.
Rumors have it, though, that Adam Gase would be McDaniel's replacement... and that is quite literally the only way that things could get worse in Los Angeles. Jim Harbaugh might be out of a job next year... or by the end of this one.
Brief preview of the Raiders and the AFC West ahead of Week 7
Las Vegas will host the Rams in Week 7, and Sean McVay's team will be short-staffed. They did get starting left tackle Alaric Jackson back early from suspension, but Los Angeles will be without Davante Adams, Kobie Turner and Poona Ford, as well as Myles Garrett. And they need a kicker.
Playing against a beat-up New England Patriots team didn't help the Raiders much in Week 5, as they got slaughtered in Foxboro, 45-17. But it certainly doesn't hurt that Klint Kubiak's team has fewer elite talents to worry about when they take the field this Sunday.
The Chiefs go on the road for Sunday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks, who look nothing like the world-beater that dominated in the Super Bowl last year. Walker III will want revenge on his old team, too, so Kansas City could easily move to 6-0.
Denver begins the more favorable portion of their schedule in Week 7, as they make a quick trip down to Arizona to play the Cardinals in the late window. Now, they did just take down the Rams last week, but it took some fluky plays to do so, and they are still outmatched by the Broncos.
Thankfully for Chargers fans, their team is on a bye this week. Although I am sure they will still figure out a way to come out of their time off as losers...
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