The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t been renting the top spot in the AFC West; they’ve owned it.
Kansas City has finished in first place in the division since 2016 – which even predates quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ time with the team.
But is it finally time for the Chiefs to relinquish their crown? Mark Schlereth, who played in the NFL from 1989-2000, made two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls, has pinpointed the team that he thinks has the best chance of unseating Kansas City.
Which Team Can Usurp the Chiefs In the AFC West?
Schlereth spent the final six years of his career in Denver, but he sees another team as the best bet to win the AFC West: the Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaking on FS1’s Breakfast Ball, Schlereth especially noted the Chargers’ offense. “I think (quarterback) Justin Herbert is outstanding,” Schlereth said. “I don’t think he’s been coached exceptionally well until last year.”
.@markschlereth says the Chargers have the best chance of dethroning the Chiefs in the AFC West:
“I think Justin Herbert is outstanding. I don’t think he’s been coached exceptionally well, until last year. Omarion Hampton from North Carolina is tremendous!” pic.twitter.com/agC5P2vIRC
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) June 10, 2025
To Schlereth’s point, last season Herbert set career highs in quarterback rating (101.7), yards per attempt (7.7), and interception rate (0.6 percent), the latter of which led the NFL. Overall, he completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,870 yards with 23 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Schlereth also mentioned wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who had 82 catches for 1,149 yards and seven TDs, as a player he liked. Among the additions to the team, the former offensive lineman pointed out guard Mekhi Becton, a free-agent signing, and running back Omarion Hampton, who the team took in the first round (No. 22 overall) out of North Carolina in this past year’s draft. “I think (Hampton) is tremendous watching him on tape,” Schlereth said. “He’s a guy I think will be a big-time impact player on the Chargers.”
Schlereth is also a fan of teams that run the ball and expects the Chargers to do just that in 2025. Last season, Los Angeles ran 463 times, the 11th-highest total in the league.
With the addition of Hampton, as well as Najee Harris, signed as a free agent after four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chargers are primed for another big year on the ground. Plus, Schlereth seemed very pleased that Los Angeles has a 300-pound fullback in Scott Matlock, who appeared in 362 plays – or 34 percent of the Chargers’ offensive snaps – in 2024.
The Chargers aren’t that outlandish of a pick to finish ahead of the Chiefs. After all, they did go 11-6 last season and made the playoffs, losing to Houston in the wild-card round.
But to do so, they’ll probably have to actually beat Kansas City, something Los Angeles hasn’t done since Sept. 26, 2021.
Jim Harbaugh was still coaching at Michigan when that happened. Harbaugh was in his first season as the Wolverines’ boss the last time the Chiefs didn’t win the AFC West.
Of course, the last time the Chargers won the AFC West in 2009, Harbaugh was the head coach of Stanford.
Oh, and the team was located in San Diego.