The AFC West had some success in the 2024 season.

Whilst the Kansas City Chiefs did lose in the Super Bowl, it was another AFC Championship title for the league’s current dynasty.

The Denver Broncos reached the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 success in the 2015 season.

There was also a return to the playoffs for the Los Angeles Chargers after two seasons away in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as the head coach.

These three teams will go into the 2025 season with a lot of hope, as will the final member of the division, the Las Vegas Raiders.

With the addition of Pete Carroll as head coach and selection of running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in this year’s draft, Raiders fans everywhere are growing confidence that this could be a good season for their team.

With a new starting quarterback in Vegas, here is a ranking of the four starters from one to four.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw a decline in performances in 2024, but still found a way to get it done when it matters in the postseason.

He is still one of the best, if not the best, quarterback in the NFL.

Yet to see a season end before the AFC Championship game, Mahomes is the modern-day definition of “clutch”.

He has managed to reach a Super Bowl once again with a sub-par choice of weapons outside of tight end Travis Kelce. Wide receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will give him extra options, along with sophomore wideout Xavier Worthy.

With a chip on their shoulder after being demolished by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Mahomes and this Chiefs team will be extra hungry to regain the Lombardi Trophy, which has so often been there’s in recent years.

Their issues at wide receiver and offensive line have limited his ability to throw deep in the same fashion was able to do in his 2018 MVP season and 2019 Super Bowl winning season.

Despite having a below part season in comparison to the exceptional standards he has set himself in previous years, he still reigns supreme as the best quarterback in this division.

Justin Herbert had one of his best seasons statistically in 2024, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions. throwing for 3,870 yards.

However, in their Wildcard Round meeting with the Houston Texans, Herbert threw for one touchdown and four interceptions in a 32-12 loss.

Herbert has yet to show he can perform in the biggest moments, most notably the defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same stage of the postseason two seasons prior despite being 27-7 up at halftime.

Despite this, he still has a tremendous talent. With Harbaugh as his head coach, you cannot help thinking he will get the monkey off his back and finally win a playoff game at some point.

Another disappointing playoff loss would raise more questions over Herbert’s “clutch” gene. Nevertheless, his NFL career so far has been more than enough to have him second in this list.

Nix had a brilliant second half to the season, but his sample size is incredibly small. Give him another year or two under head coach Sean Payton’s guidance and he could easily be second on this list in 12 months’ time.

29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions is a great return for a rookie, a debut campaign that can see a lot of quarterbacks struggle.

He helped guide the team to their first postseason berth since their Super Bowl winning 2015 campaign and failed to throw an interception during their playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills at the Wildcard Round stage. They even led the game at the end of the first quarter.

Nix has the potential to go far in this league.

Smith has a lot bigger of a sample size, with 19,143 passing yards, 105 touchdowns and 72 interceptions in 94 games (83 starts).

4,320 passing yards in 2024 is impressive, but 15 interceptions to go with 21 touchdowns represented a regression for Smith after a single digit pick total (9) in 2023.

Smith’s arm strength, deep ball ability and accuracy have been praised by many NFL experts, but the fact the Raiders only paid a third rounder for him suggests that the league thinks otherwise.

Whilst Nix may have a shorter NFL career, his upside is higher than Smith’s ceiling.

Andy Davies

AFC West quarterback rankings

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