More Likely: Worst to First or First to Worst?
Either scenario would come as a genuine shock, more so than maybe any other division in the league. As with a couple of previously-covered divisions, it just feels more reasonable to imagine a catastrophic season for one team, the Broncos, than to imagine the Raiders passing them as well as the Chargers and the potentially resurgent Chiefs.
Hottest Seat?
Unsettling as it is to say about a future Hall of Fame coach, it’s Andy Reid. While I can’t say with any confidence that they actually fire him, if the team misses the playoffs, Clark Hunt and Brett Veach will at least be having a meeting with Reid to take his temperature on the subject of retirement. Especially with the necessity of utilizing every bit on the window Patrick Mahomes provides.
Likeliest MVP Candidate?
Justin Herbert. The answer here would normally be Mahomes, but the uncertainty as he recovers from such a meaningful injury changes that. Injury or not, Herbert is in a great position this year. The Chargers look more promising as a team than they have at any point in his career, which is always a factor in this award. But the offensive situation itself lends him the opportunity for career-best numbers, especially in regard to efficiency. Both of his star tackles are back after he played most of last season without either of them, and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is possibly the best play caller Herbert has ever had. The weapons are a bit underrated, too.
Fantasy League Winner?
Omarion Hampton. The schematic and blocking upgrades are going to benefit the feature back as much as the QB. In San Francisco and Miami, we’ve seen running back after running back put up monster numbers. Hampton is poised to follow suit.
What To Watch:
- While Bo Nix is generally viewed by the masses as a game manager who rides the coattails of the defense, one of his best traits is and always has been the deep ball. Now that the team has acquired Jaylen Waddle, it will be intriguing to see how much more they push the ball down the field with new play caller Davis Webb.
- The skill talent surrounding Herbert on this team is very solid, but most of it happens to be concentrated in the running back and tight end rooms. Who steps up as the #2 receiver after Ladd McConkey? There are wideouts with ability on this team, but they have yet to pan out.
- This observation is almost more of a prediction, so what I’ll be watching is essentially if I was right or not. The choice to bring in Justin Fields as the backup to Mahomes this season was interesting to me, and I’ve developed a suspicion about their plans at QB. It seems that Fields will be officially active on game days while rookie Garrett Nussmeier will be the emergency QB. Should Mahomes miss any games, though, I expect Nussmeier to make those starts, if only in the interest of seeing what he can do. I think that Fields will see playing time throughout the season, though, as a QB used in goal line and short-yardage situations. Mahomes has typically excelled in these scenarios as a runner, but that’s not something the team should want to see him do much coming off a torn ACL. Enter Fields, who can run keepers and read options with Kenneth Walker III that will add a new dynamic to help this team win in the margins while keeping the franchise out of harm’s way.
- The Raiders are still a young star wide receiver away from their ideal personnel scenario, but seem to have the quarterback, running back, and tight end they believe are their offensive future. So how much time will those three play together in 2026? Ashton Jeanty is dealing with an injury to start the year that will likely cause some missed time, while Fernando Mendoza is starting his rookie year as a backup learning under Kirk Cousins. But as the year goes on, chances go up of that trio spending more and more time getting used to playing together, setting up bigger things in the future if all goes according to plan.
All-Division Team:
QB – Justin Herbert
RB – Kenneth Walker III
RB – Omarion Hampton
WR – Courtland Sutton
WR – Jaylen Waddle
WR – Ladd McConkey
TE – Brock Bowers
TE – Travis Kelce
LT – Rashawn Slater
LG – Ben Powers
C – Creed Humphrey
RG – Quinn Meinerz
RT – Joe Alt
DL – Chris Jones
DL – Zach Allen
DL – Dalvin Tomlinson
ED – Maxx Crosby
ED – Nik Bonitto
LB – Alex Singleton
LB – Nick Bolton
LB – Nakobe Dean
CB – Patrick Surtain II
CB – Donte Jackson
FS – Brandon Jones
SS – Derwin James
NB – Ja’Quan McMillian
K – Cameron Dicker
P – AJ Cole
RS – Marvin Mims, Jr.
