Ed Zurga/Associated PressThe landscape has changed a lot since the beginning of the NFL offseason in 2022. The AFC West sent two teams to the playoffs last year and may now have four Super Bowl-worthy teams.
Is the AFC West the best division in the history of the NFL? It is possible, and it is not hyperbole.
One of the teams to beat in the conference is the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been to four consecutive AFC Championship Games. The Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Clippers have all made moves to catch up.
Russell Wilson was traded to Denver on March 8.
Broncos general manager George Paton said that Russell was their top priority from the moment they learned he was available.
Wilson may be the most significant addition to the AFC West, but he was not the last.
The race is called the AFC West.
Here is a chronological look at the biggest additions to the West.
Six big-time players joined the division in 10 days. Wilson, Jones, Mack and Adams are on their way to the Hall of Fame. J.C. Jackson was the best cover corner in the league. He had a league-high 23 passes defended and an opposing passer rating of 48.6.
Randy Gregory is a promising pass-rusher who had six sacks and 29 quarterback pressures last season. His last-minute decision to join the Broncos was a coup.
Three proven pass-rushers and a shutdown corner join a division that features four elite or borderline elite quarterbacks. The Raiders are trying to get Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The chess matches between the defensive and signal-callers will be exciting to watch.
Adams could be the most notable addition outside of Wilson. He is one of the league's most reliable receivers and is coming off his fifth straight Pro Bowl campaign and his second straight All-Pro nod.
Adams wanted to play for the Raiders and his college quarterback, but the Packers were not willing to let him walk.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheetFrom @GMFB: Davante Adams will fulfill his lifelong dream to play for the #Raiders and with QB Derek Carr, becoming the highest-paid WR in the NFL to do it. A look at how it all went down... https://t.co/uyyYVlEWmC
The Chiefs have largely been quiet this year, though they did franchise-tag left tackle Orlando Brown and swap in Justin Reid for safety. JuJu Smith-Schuster, a dangerous slot weapon who can complement the team's already impressive collection of talent, was added.
Last season, Smith-Schuster was limited to five games due to a shoulder injury, but he still had three seasons with at least He played in the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row.
Patrick Mahomes will be the quarterback for Kansas City. The rest of the AFC West is better on paper than it was two weeks ago.
It is still all about the quarterback.
The quarterback pool in the AFC West could cause problems for the rest of the league. Without a high-end quarterback, it is almost impossible to make it to the Super Bowl. Wilson is in the Denver lineup, so all four teams have one.
Wilson is the most accomplished of the group. He has made nine Pro Bowls in 10 seasons and has been to two Super Bowls. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
After the hottest start by a quarterback to an NFL career, it's likely that Mahomes is on the same path. After sitting for the majority of his first season, he has been to four straight conference title games, four consecutive Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls.
Herbert has never been to the playoffs, but his first two seasons have been pretty good.
Harbert set an NFL rookies record with 31 touchdown passes. He made his first appearance in the Pro Bowl last season and threw for 5,014 yards and 38 touchdown. Herbert is getting close to being an elite.
Carr is the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West, but he is better than most. He has taken the Raiders to the playoffs twice and has game-winning drives on his resume.
Carr could be in for a career year.
The quarterback and passer ratings from last season are here.
Here is a look at their career touchdown-to-interception ratios.
The quarterbacks can carry their teams to victory. The talent in the division, like Tyreek Hill, Maxx Crosby, Austin Ekeler, and Joey Bosa, might not have to leave.
The Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bolts could all make the playoffs.
Jae C. Hong/Associated PressThe Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bolts could all make the playoffs, which would make them the best division in the history of the league.
Since the 2002 conference realignment, four teams in the same division have never made the playoffs. Three teams from the same division have made it multiple times, but never four.
The five teams from the NFC Central made the playoffs, but the fifth, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finished with a 6-10 record. The Bears went 4-12 in 1997, but four teams from the NFC Central went to the playoffs.
The opportunity for an entire division to make the playoffs has only existed for two years, as the NFL expanded its playoff field from 12 to 14 teams in 2020. It would be the first time in the history of the league that a division would be successful.
It is also possible.
The Chiefs, Raiders, and Bolts all won at least nine games. The Bolts could have replaced Las Vegas in the playoffs if they had taken the Raiders to overtime. If Las Vegas and Los Angeles had tied it would have sent three teams to the playoffs.
The Broncos had the league's third-ranked scoring defense and won seven games with the tandem of Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock under center. If Wilson is worth two wins, we will probably look at four teams with.500 records next season.
The only division where all four teams are 40-1 or better to win the Super Bowl is the AFC West.
Four above-average or better quarterbacks lead these teams. All four teams can make the playoffs if they take away one another's victories.
It will be hard to argue that the best division we have ever seen is represented by the Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders and Bolts.
The Pro Football Reference has advanced statistics.
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