Picking between the Chargers and the Raiders was quite difficult. The Rest: Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs There has been buzz around seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco, but we will have to wait and see how that plays out. They signed Ronald Jones, but he does not appear to be in the running for the starting job and isn’t even a roster lock. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was their top halfback last year, but he was underwhelming and did not take the step forward that some hoped. The Chiefs have a fair number of options but a lot of questions. Ameer Abdullah looks to be the main backup option this year. A better season from him in 2022 would probably push the Raiders back up a notch at this position. This could perhaps be partially attributed to the team playing from behind a lot, but his first two seasons weren’t that different in that regard and he had much better seasons then. The Raiders have Josh Jacobs, but he strangely got less usage in 2021, only racking up 872 rushing yards. If the Chargers had a proven change-of-pace option to Ekeler, they could take the top spot, but for now, they remain in second. The options after that (Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree) would probably have no chance of making a 53-man roster on most other teams. Their best second option right now looks to be the rookie Isaiah Spiller. The Chargers have the best halfback in the West with Austin Ekeler, who had over 900 rushing yards and over 1,550 total yards from scrimmage, as well as 20 total touchdowns. Williams is the future on that team, but for now, he and Gordon will remain a strong duo. Both of them got just over 900 rushing yards in 2021, which gives them the best running attack overall. The Broncos don’t have a lot of overall depth, but they have Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, who easily make up the best running back duo in the West. The Rest: Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs
Nevertheless, his feats are not on the level of Mahomes, Wilson, and Herbert therefore he remains at the bottom of this list.
While the stats show 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2021 – which sound rather pedestrian – he was often quite clutch and a big part of why the Raiders managed to scrape into the playoffs. It says a lot when Derek Carr is the “worst” quarterback in your division. Herbert may very well get higher on this list if he continues to grow, but for now, we will give the nod to Wilson. However, Wilson is more well-tenured and had a 40-touchdown-pass-season in 2020 – a number which Herbert hasn’t quite yet reached. Herbert has had an outstanding first two seasons and looks to have a higher ceiling. The decision between Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert is quite close and one could be forgiven for going either way. Of that group, Patrick Mahomes remains the top dog for now while he took a bit of a step back early in 2021, he smoothed out down the stretch and reminded us why he is one of (if not the most) dangerous quarterbacks in the league. An early testament to how absurdly stacked the AFC West is in 2022: there are three top-ten quarterbacks in this division.
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