Getty Los Angeles Chargers CB J.C. Jackson.
After six straight years of Kansas City Chiefs dominance in the AFC West, the rest of the division decided that enough is enough this offseason. The Denver Broncos added a star quarterback in Russell Wilson, the Las Vegas Raiders added Davante Adams and Chandler Jones while the Los Angeles Chargers landed Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson. Meanwhile, the Chiefs lost Tyrann Mathieu and Tyreek Hill.
There’s still a lot that needs to happen this offseason but it looks like any team in the AFC West could end up winning the division. The Chargers and Raiders may have improved the most out of any team. Both teams fought for a playoff spot to end the season last year with Las Vegas emerging triumphant. The Chargers have seriously upgraded their defense while the Raiders have upgraded both sides of the ball while adding the best wide receiver in the NFL in Adams.
Jackson was an All-Pro cornerback last season and there’s no doubt he’ll be lining up against Adams when the two teams play next season. He doesn’t appear to be very scared of the challenge.
“They better be ready for us,” Jackson replied when asked about playing against Adams, via NFL.com. “I don’t want to talk about him. They better be ready for us.”
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Adams Believes AFC West Is NFL’s Best Division
Jackson has only played against Adams once his career back in 2018. Considering Jackson was just a rookie at the time, the two haven’t had a true matchup against each other yet. That will change very soon. Adams is the NFL’s best wide receiver while Jackson is one of the best cornerbacks. The two should have some intense battles in the future.
Adams knows how lethal the AFC West is about to be and he’s excited about it.
“This is the best division in football right now,” Adams said. “It’s loaded. It’s not gonna be easy, but it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to. I’m always looking for a challenge.”
The Raiders can’t back away from the challenge as they have no choice. Luckily, they now have a much stronger team that should be able to compete with anybody.
All hail the AFC West 🙌
Which Team Should Be Favored in AFC West?
With the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos all getting better this offseason and the Chiefs getting worse, it’s anybody’s guess who is going to win the AFC West. All four teams have very good quarterbacks and weapons. They also all have difference-makers on defense.
The 2022 version of the AFC West is set to be one of the toughest divisions in NFL history. The current playoff format allows all four teams to make the playoffs but that’s a tall order. At least one team is likely to miss the playoffs this season. Which teams make the playoffs will largely depend on how the new pieces fit. Plus, the Raiders and Broncos have new head coaches while the Chargers have a second-year head coach. It’s still difficult to know how any of these teams will look next season.
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Chargers’ J.C. Jackson Puts Raiders & Davante Adams on Notice