2023 AFC West Title Odds, Picks & Predictions: Chiefs & Chargers Leading the Way

Fresh off another Super Bowl victory, the Kansas City Chiefs are rightfully the favorites to win their division once again. Many questioned how the Chiefs would fare in the passing attack following the departure of superstar Tyreek Hill, but Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes quickly silenced all doubters.

While they could use some help in that area after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster, they will likely remain aggressive in the draft and free agency the rest of the way to give Mahomes everything he needs (which isn’t a ton).

Tailing by a solid margin as the second-best odds are the Los Angeles Chargers, who have had a relatively quiet offseason after their historic choke against the Jaguars in the wild card round. They kept their core together, but didn’t sign many free agents of note likely due to the impending monster contract extension for Justin Herbert.

At third are the Denver Broncos, who made a splash by trading for former Super Bowl winning head coach Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints. They were also incredibly aggressive in free agency, being one of the top spenders in many of the top available free agents. They have a lot to prove after their disastrous season in 2022.

Finally, the Raiders are heavy underdogs in this division race. Their only notable transaction was signing Jimmy Garoppolo to replace Derek Carr after missing the postseason last year. They also traded away Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, so the roster appears to be in worse shape going into this season.

All three of these teams have quite the hill to climb to knock off the Chiefs as AFC West champions.

2023 AFC West Title Odds

2023 AFC West Champion Prediction: Chiefs | -135 at DraftKings

The Chiefs have won the AFC West every year since 2016 and there is no reason to bet against them this year, especially at solid odds as of spring. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league and Andy Reid is one of the top head coaches. Betting against them isn’t wise.

The Chargers have a very talented roster when healthy, but it’s instances like their playoff loss to the Jaguars where you wonder if they can ever get out of their own way. Brandon Staley is very much on the hot seat this season and isn’t in the same league as Andy Reid, so betting on the Chargers at this moment isn’t the play.

Both the Broncos and Raiders have solid rosters but are held back at the quarterback position. Denver is certainly in a much better position to be competitive under Payton, but neither of these two teams are in the same class as the Chargers or Chiefs. Betting multiple units on any of these two might be a donation.