Broncos are trailing the Chiefs, and somehow the Raiders, early in the AFC West race

The Denver Broncos earned a huge win on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Down 13-3 in the third quarter, things looked bleak, but Denver rallied to score 17 straight points and move to 1-1 on the season.

And in the NFL it’s never too early to start taking a peek at the playoff picture. But right now, the Broncos are on the outside looking in.

Denver is currently the No. 9 seed in the AFC, bunched with the likes of the Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Steelers and Browns.

Kansas City is No. 1, pulling out an OT win against the Colts on Sunday night. And shockingly the Las Vegas Raiders are the No. 5 seed after beating the Dolphins and the Chargers to begin the 2026 campaign.

Going into the year many thought it’d be between the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers to win the AFC West. Maybe Los Angeles shouldn’t be in that conversation after a pathetic 0-2 start with losses to Arizona and Vegas.

Meanwhile, the Raiders topped the Dolphins and Chargers to sprint to a surprising undefeated mark.

Will this shuffle in the coming weeks? Of course. But unlike the NBA, NHL and MLB, every single regular season game matters — each team only gets 17 opportunities for a reason.

The Broncos need to survive a brutal six-game stretch to open the year, hopefully sitting at 3-3 or even 4-2 after facing the Rams, 49ers, Chargers and defending champion Seahawks.

But since the NFL switched to a 17-game schedule, only 10 percent of teams who start 0-2 make the playoffs. That’s bad news for winless squads like the Texans, Dolphins, Titans, Colts and Chargers.

To see the full AFC playoff picture through two games, click here.

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