Are you ready for some football? We are going to blink, and the 2025 NFL season will be upon us as training camps for all 32 teams start this month. There is plenty to dive into this year with quarterbacks switching teams, major coaches making a return, and plenty of teams getting much better, while some probably needed some more help. Here is our 2025 AFC West preview.
Last Year
Death, taxes, and the Kansas City Chiefs won another AFC West title. Oh, and the Kansas City Chiefs played in yet another AFC Conference Championship. Oh, and the Kansas City Chiefs played in another Super Bowl. While they didn’t win the Big Game, it was another typical season for Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and Co. The Chiefs dominated the West, winning 15 games. The second-best team, the LA Chargers, won 11 games. Jim Harbaugh enjoyed his first year in LA but didn’t enjoy the whooping they received from the Houston Texans in the postseason that saw their season come to a close. The Broncos were the surprise team in the division. They won 10 games, Bo Nix had an incredible rookie season, and Sean Payton seemed to settle in with his guy under center. The Raiders were the Raiders. It was such a bad season that Antonio Pierce is gone, and Tom Brady now has a ton of influence.
Favorite to win in 2025
I mean…is it even a question? The Chiefs are just going to continue steamrolling this division. I wish it could be different, but Patrick Mahomes has the special ability to just win. We saw it with Tom Brady. We saw it with Joe Montana. Mahomes is a creature that no team has an answer for. Even when we think Kansas City is going to have down years, the Chiefs just win. They ace every draft. They do just well enough in free agency. But at the end of the day, they have number 15 to lead them to the playoffs and from there, it’s anyone’s game. And typically, it’s the Chiefs.
Offensive Player to Watch: Travis Kelce
The reason I am listing Kelce here is because it might just be the last time we get to watch him. The retirement rumors are swirling around for Kelce. He is entering this season at age 35 and will be 36 in October. While he still put up monster numbers for any tight end, it was the personal worst of his career.
Defensive Player to Watch: Patrick Surtain
Pat Surtain is now a reigning Defensive Player of the Year award winner, and he will be looking to defend his crown in 2025. The Broncos have a truly special player in Surtain who has taken the cornerback position by storm and shown the NFL that he is the best in the business.
Prediction
Come on…I am taking the Chiefs. They won 15 games last year, 15!! And when this team loses in a Super Bowl, it seems like they come back with anger. I feel bad for the rest of the AFC West who seem to have no answers for Mahomes despite playing him twice a year, every year. Record (13-4)