5 reasons the Chiefs will win the AFC West

3. It’s too early for the Raiders or Broncos to mount a challenge

Part of the reason why it’s so easy to predict the Chiefs as the division winners is the lack of a quality challenger for the 2020 campaign. The Raiders and Broncos both appear to be on an upward trajectory, but neither is going to be a legitimate challenger for Kansas City this season.

The Chargers are immediately disqualified from the division by virtue of starting Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. They might be interesting once they make the change to Justin Herbert under center, but they’ll be a non-factor for the time being.

The Broncos believe they have their franchise signal-caller in the form of Drew Lock. They might be right, but he’s only started five NFL games in his young career. He needs at least a full season as a starter before Denver is going to be ready to challenge an elite team like Kansas City.

Jon Gruden will tell everyone who is willing to listen that the Raiders are ready to take a big step forward in 2020. He might be right, but the step won’t be large enough to catch the Chiefs. No team with Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota under center can score enough points to keep up with Kansas City on a weekly basis. The flaws of every other team in the division should make winning an AFC West crown rather simple for the Chiefs.