If the top of the AFC West wasn’t crowded enough already, the Oakland Raiders broke out of their 14-year funk to turn the division into a three-headed monster last year. The Raiders joined perennial stalwarts Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos as three legitimate playoff contenders this year. And with the underrated Los Angeles Chargers bringing up the rear, the AFC West is the toughest in the league.

The Chiefs and Raiders finished with identical 12-4 records last season but Kansas City took the division by virtue of their head-to-head record with Oakland. The team should return as division favourites but lost a little firepower from last year’s roster and could make a switch to rookie QB Pat Mahomes during the season.

The Raiders’ already great offence should be even better with additions Marshawn Lynch and Jared Cook, but after adding only rookies to their porous defence, they’ll need to win even more shootouts to hit their ultimate goal this season.

The Broncos’ Super Bowl hangover was a bad one, but they still boast one of the best defences in the league. It’s a unit certainly capable of leading a team into the postseason despite what should be poor play at quarterback again.

And the Chargers underwhelmed last year, but are promising an offence better suited to QB Philip Rivers and breakout star Melvin Gordon. Joey Bosa’s on the brink of joining Khalil Mack and Von Miller as impact defenders as well, so the Chargers could make things tight out west.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been one of the more consistent teams since the Andy Reid-Alex Smith combo took over in Kansas City four seasons ago. But while that consistency has been good enough for playoff spots more often than not, it hasn’t gotten them any further than the divisional round.

Reid isn’t going anywhere after signing a contract extension this off-season, but Smith could be. The veteran check-down QB will enter the season as the Chiefs starter behind centre, but the team sent a message when they traded up to select Mahomes 10th overall in April’s draft: they ultimately don’t believe Smith’s play-it-safe style can lead them to the Super Bowl.

If the Chiefs feel Mahomes isn’t ready at any point this year, Smith will get one more shot. With a still largely talented roster around him, and that should be enough for the team to win their second-straight division title. But if their performance dips at all during the regular season, Reid could opt to make a switch. Inserting Mahomes into the lineup would mean taking one step backwards this year for two steps forward in the future.

Two new stars could emerge for Kansas City this year. Spencer Ware’s preseason injury opens the door for rookie Kareem Hunt to carve a significant role out for himself at running back, while Tyreek Hill, on the verge of stardom in his rookie season last year, should bust it wide open with Jeremy Maclin no longer ahead of him on the depth chart.

Oakland Raiders

It was an interesting off-season strategy for the Raiders this year: improving an already electric offence while neglecting a porous defence.

The Raiders made their first trip to the postseason in 14 years last season off the power of Derek Carr’s MVP-calibre season and their sixth-ranked offence, only to be let down by their 26th-ranked defence (and Carr’s late-season broken leg).

They responded by adding a red zone target in tight end Jared Cook and in aging superstar running back Lynch this spring, but did nothing to improve the defence until the draft.

The offence will be even better and that could be enough to carry the Raiders to their lofty expectations. It would be a great story if Oakland’s favourite son Lynch, who has looked rested and rejuvenated in the preseason, could lead the Raiders to a special season in the few years they have left in the Bay Area.

But if it’s not a special season, it should at least be an exciting one. The offence proved last year they can win shootouts and will have to continue that trend with Defensive Player of the Year Mack once again left on an island on the other side of the ball. Carr famously said this off-season that Mack could get as many as 30 sacks in a season. That might be a requirement for the Raiders.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos return with the same formula that earned them a Super Bowl two seasons ago but just a 9-7 record last year: a stellar defence carrying the load of a below-average offence.

Von Miller leads the unit that should keep the Broncos in the playoff hunt. While Miller’s impact can be matched by Mack in Oakland, and maybe even Bosa in Los Angeles, nobody in the division, or even the league, can match Denver’s secondary. Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib are the best cornerback tandem in the NFL and their effect makes up for the struggles against the run that popped up last season.

Denver’s offence wasn’t particularly strong the year they won the Super Bowl, but there was at least the threat of Peyton Manning, and Brock Osweiler forged together enough of a performance to earn a massive contract from the Houston Texans. That combination offered more than Trevor Siemian could muster last year. The low-ceiling QB won the starting job for a second straight season this summer but will have to show improvement for Denver to do more than just hang around in the tough AFC West.

Whether the team is more Super Bowl contender or also-ran could come down to the coaching changes made in the off-season. The Broncos will have new schemes on both sides of the ball. Mike McCoy returns to take over the offence after Gary Kubiak was forced to retire from coaching for health reasons. And Vance Joseph brings his defensive system from Miami to replace Wade Phillips, who moved on the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles Chargers

If there is such a thing as a good bad team, the Chargers were that last season. You are what your record says you are, but at the same time only two of the Chargers’ 11 losses were by more than one score.

The Chargers’ move to Los Angeles dominated the headlines and stole attention away from the team’s two emerging superstars in running back Gordon and pass rusher Bosa. After a disappointing rookie season, Gordon reached double-digit touchdown numbers and fell just three yards shy of 1,000 despite missing three games. And Bosa managed 10.5 sacks in 12 games after a holdout robbed him of training camp his rookie seasons. Both players could garner All Pro consideration this season.

Philip Rivers still has some gas in the tank and could even experience a late-career revitalization if receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen can stay healthy all season.

The team is worth more than five wins on paper, and new head coach Anthony Lynn should have no problem coaxing a couple more out of them in his first year in charge. Their biggest impediment to challenging for a playoff spot could be the six intra-division games on their schedule, however, where wins figure to be tough to come by.

The Chargers might not be world beaters but, unlike their new city rivals, they’ll offer a competitive product for football fans in L.A. for the first time in nearly 25 years. Unfortunately, by virtue of the StubHub Center’s small capacity, few people will be able to see it firsthand.