AFC West Week 5 Rankings: Chargers stay alive while Raiders earn first victory of 2022

The Broncos lost their first divisional game of the year but remain at .500 entering October.

1.) Kansas City Chiefs (3-1, 1-0 AFC West)

The Chiefs bounced back in a big way following their loss to the Colts by putting up 41 points on the Buccaneers defense. Tom Brady did what he could with his best weapons having returned from injury/suspensions but it’s hard to make 31 points feel good when your opponent is scoring at will all night long.

The Chiefs are still the top dog in the AFC West and they’ll host the Raiders this week on Monday Night Football.

2.) Los Angeles Chargers (2-2, 1-1 AFC West)

The Chargers got back to .500 after a win against the Texans which allowed them to stay out of the basement of the division as the first month of the season came to a close. The offense built a three-score lead at halftime but failed to come back out of the locker room until late in the fourth quarter. The same could also be said of the defense which allowed touchdowns on back-to-back drives before swiftly ending the game with a late interception.

The Chargers will need to put together a convincing win before anyone thrusts their confidence back into the team’s potential for this season. With a week five matchup in Cleveland on tap, they’ve got a chance to shut down the Browns run game and show they are for real as they inch closer to their bye week.

3.) Denver Broncos (2-2, 0-1 AFC West)

Russell Wilson couldn’t will his team to victory despite playing a rather clean and efficient game. Disasters in the backfield piled up as Javonte Williams was lost to a torn ACL and LCL while Melvin Gordon couldn’t keep the rock secured. Through four games, this may not be the best 2-2 team, but they’ve been competitive every week.

The Broncos will play the Colts this week on Thursday Night Football.

4.) Las Vegas Raiders (1-3, 1-1 AFC West)

The Raiders finally secured their first win of the season by bouncing the Broncos in week four. They took advantage of a Melvin Gordon fumble which they returned for a touchdown while Josh Jacobs looked like his vintage self as he rushed for 144 yards and two scores.

The ground game allowed the offense to take all the pressure off Derek Carr who finished with just 188 yards passing.

The Raiders are scheduled to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in week five.