Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, we’re tracking the AFC West odds to see which teams are expected to fare well in this division.
Bwin has a wide range of NFL betting odds on every match and futures markets on everything from the next Super Bowl winner to individual player props.
Here, we’re providing our AFC West predictions and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each team:
1st DENVER BRONCOS
Denver have been crying out for an elite-level quarterback capable of rekindling the glory days of John Elway and Peyton Manning, so all credit to general manager George Paton for going out and getting Russell Wilson from Seattle.
With new head coach Nathaniel Hackett having been the offensive coordinator at Green Bay, the stage is set for Wilson to hit the ground running, especially as the wide receivers were already in place in Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler.
Paton also bolstered the defence via free agency, as edge rusher Randy Gregory arrived on a five-year, $70million deal and DT DJ Jones was signed to a three-year contract worth $30m.
A switch in emphasis from building through the draft to pushing for instant success makes the Broncos worth backing to reach the play-offs for the first time since their 2015 Super Bowl-winning season in our AFC West predictions.
2nd KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
The Chiefs have dominated this division in recent years, claiming six straight titles since ending Denver’s five-year reign at the top of the table, winning the 2019 Super Bowl and being runners-up 12 months later.
However, Andy Reid has been dealt some big blows during the off-season, with flying WR Tyreek Hill traded to Miami and Tyrann Mathieu, Melvin Ingram and Charvarius Ward lost on defence.
The replacements make sense, with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling coming in as wide-outs and safety Justin Reid acquired from Houston, while first-round draft picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis both appeal.
One fly in the ointment, though, is left tackle Orlando Brown failing to agree a new contract and Patrick Mahomes will be desperate to see that situation resolved.
3rd LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Head coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco weren’t afraid to make a splash in the transfer market to give some help to a struggling defence, trading for Khalil Mack and paying big pucks to land cornerback JC Jackson.
Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson and Kyle Van Noy are other notable additions, which allowed the Chargers to go with offensive lineman Zion Johnson with their first draft pick.
The big debate is whether third-season signal caller Justin Herbert can step up on the promise shown so far, because competition is fierce at that position in this tough pool.
4th LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Second place for the past two seasons represents a sterling effort, especially after the John Gruden controversy, but the feeling is that the Raiders have been punching above their weight and that is reflected in their 2022 AFC West odds.
Four of last year’s 10 wins came in overtime and three others were by narrow margins, before going down 26-19 to Cincinnati in the Wild Card round.
New head coach Josh McDaniels excelled as offensive coordinator with New England but a 2009-10 stint in charge of Denver did not work out well, so the 46-year-old has some questions to answer.
Derek Carr will be delighted to team up with former college pal Davante Adams and Chandler Jones was a big-money recruit on defence, but Las Vegas may lack strength in depth on both lines and most games are decided in those trenches.
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