We are now three weeks into the NFL season, and we’re starting to get a better read on the AFC West and the Denver Broncos.

As we do, it’s becoming more and more clear that this bundle of teams isn’t quite what it was hyped to be this offseason, and that’s good news for the Broncos.

How do they compare to their divisional foes so far? Let’s look

1. Kansas City Chiefs (0)

Losing to this year’s version of the Indianapolis Colts is pretty embarrassing, and would cause the Kansas City Chiefs to tumble in these power rankings if the gap between them and everyone else didn’t feel so wide right now.

This is the best defense Kansas City has had during the Mahomes era. Justin Reid has replaced Tyrann Mathieu beautifully, and they no longer have to worry about covering up for Daniel Sorensen. Meanwhile, Chris Jones and George Karlaftis are forming a nice pass-rush duo up front, and the linebacking tandem of Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. (when not suspended) is one of the best in the league. Cornerback remains a major weakness, but the Chiefs have plenty of experience working around that.

On offense, Andy Reid and Co. are still sorting things out. The absence of Tyreek Hill is felt throughout the passing game, and the running game hasn’t been able to punish soft-shell defenses to the desired level. Clyde Edwards-Helaire continues to drive select fantasy GMs to attempt cliff-diving, Jerick McKinnon’s lack of vision limits his effectiveness, and Isiah Pacheco can’t get much playing time.

It’s easy to picture Tampa Bay dropping this team to .500 on Sunday Night Football this week, but for now, they retain control of the top spot.

2. Denver Broncos (+2)

This week’s biggest mover has to be the Denver Broncos, thanks, in large part, to the rest of the division completely folding in Week 3.

However, the Broncos did show some signs that they could be growing into the team many hoped they would be. Now, none of those signs came on offense (save for one end-of-game redzone possession that won the game), but the defense appear to be a true difference-making unit.

If the offense can manage to find the rhythm they had in Week 1, and then pair it with some redzone production and this defense, the Denver Broncos could be a very special team in 2022.

3. Los Angeles Chargers (-1)

Y’know what? Maybe the Los Angeles Chargers are cursed.

In the preseason edition of this list, there was a lot of pontificating about how silly superstition is, and how the Chargers would be fine because superstition was seemingly the only thing standing in their way.

Well, superstition has proven to be quite the obstacle. No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen is now nursing a hamstring injury. The team’s top two offensive linemen, Corey Linsley and Rashawn Slater, who also happen to play two of the line’s most important positions, center and left tackle, are both injured, with Slater done for the year. Joey Bosa is nursing a groin injury and J.C. Jackson has been sitting out practice with a wounded ankle. That’s not even mentioning the fact that Justin Herbert didn’t look himself playing through a fairly severe cartilage injury.

Once again, it appears the Chargers can’t stay healthy enough to compete, and just to ensure that all positive vibes were vaporized from the Bolts’ team facility, the Jacksonville Jaguars dropped a 31-10 bomb on them in Week 3.

Now, Jacksonville looks like a very good team, but the fact they blew out Los Angeles raised eyebrows.

4. Las Vegas Raiders (-1)

Much has been made about this week being a trap game for the Denver Broncos. That said, although the stage might be set for a big letdown for Denver, it’s hard to see them dropping the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders right now.

Like, is anything going right for Vegas?

Derek Carr is flaming out a little, and is currently experiencing one of his worst stretches of play since 2018, despite having more artillery than ever before. That’s largely because his line has been pretty porous so far, averaging just over 10 pressures per game according to Pro Football Focus.

Also, Davante Adams hasn’t produced a solid return on investment since his first game in silver and black, netting just seven receptions for 48 yards since. That’s not just the result of having too many mouths to feed either, as Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow have been relatively disappointing this season as well, combining for two games over 50 yards so far this season. Now, Renfrow is hurt, and Vegas is gasping for air.

Meanwhile, the defense has been pretty poor, as was expected. One disappointing wrinkle though is the fact that Chandler Jones has been a complete zero. Maxx Crosby is playing marvelously across the line, but he can’t carry the Raiders’ pass rush all on his own.

For as much as people want to say they’re better than their record, there aren’t many positives to cling to. The three teams they’ve lost to (the Chargers, Cardinals and Titans) have looked terrible in nearly every other game they’ve played so far this season. The lone exception is Los Angeles’ impressive Thursday Night Football matchup with Kansas City.

Right now, the Raiders rank 24th in offensive DVOA and 20th in defensive DVOA, and boy do they look it.