Hello NFL Fan and welcome to the third part of our series of articles where we look at some hypothetical Divisional Squads and Teams in the NFL.

In Part One we looked at the NFL East and we followed that with a look at the NFL North in part two.

Now we are going to turn our focus onto perhaps the powerhouse division in the AFC, and perhaps the whole of the NFL, the AFC West.

Many people would feel this division would offer the best squad and starting team of all NFL divisions, but will that be the case?

Of course, this is just a flight of fancy ahead of the NFL season, but it would be hugely interesting to see what odds bet365 Sport would offer on the AFC West squad having a chance to beat all the other teams in the AFC, as well as the best the NFC has to offer too.

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Let’s now take a look at the teams eligible to provide members for our hypothetical AFC West divisional squad and team.

AFC West

• Kansas City Chiefs
• Denver Broncos
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers

And here’s a quick recap of how the rules for each divisional selection have been set.

Rules For The Squad Selection – Recap

• All players must be from one of the four teams in the division stated.
• All squads will be comprised of 53 players.
• All squads will be uniformly selected with the same positions and number of players in each position.
• In addition to the 53 squad players, a starting Offense, Defense & Special Teams will be picked.
• Finally a head coach from one of the four divisional teams will be picked to coach the team.

Each squad will comprise of the following 53 players.

Offense (24 players)

• Quarterback – 3
• Running Back – 2
• Full Back – 1
• Wide Receiver – 6
• Tight End – 2
• Left Tackle – 2
• Left Guard – 2
• Center – 2
• Right Guard – 2
• Right Tackle – 2

Defense (25 players)

• Defensive Tackle – 4
• Defensive Ends – 5
• Inside Linebacker – 2
• Outside Linebacker / Edge Rusher – 4
• Strong Safety – 2
• Free Safety – 2
• Cornerbacks – 6

Special Teams (4 players)

• Kicker – 1
• Punter – 1
• Specialist Punt/Kick Off Returner – 1
• Long Snapper – 1

So with that clear, let’s take a closer look at our 53-man AFC West squad.

AFC West – Squad Selection

AFC West Squad Gradings

Offense

• Quarterbacks – A
• Running/Full Backs –  B+
• Wide Receivers – A-
• Tight Ends – A
• Offensive Line – A-
• Overall Offense – A-

Defense

• Defensive Line – B+
• Edge Rushers – A
• Linebackers – B+
• Safeties – A-
• Corners – B+

Special Teams

• Kicker – A-
• Punter – B
• Kick Returner – A
• Long Snapper – B+

Team Intangibles

• Experience – B+
• Pace – A
• Physicality – A
• Mental Toughness – A
• HC Effectiveness – A

AFC West Starters

AFC West Starting XI Analysis

• Denver Broncos – 6 starters
• Kansas City Chiefs – 7 starters
• Las Vegas Raiders – 5 starters
• Los Angeles Chargers – 8 starters

Strengths

• An almost unbeatable passing game with NFL superstars at QB, WR and TE.
• Incredible pass rush on defence.
• Squad has many of the best in position in the NFL.
• 3x Super Bowl winning coach rated one of the best in history.
• Excellent Kick Returner who can also fill in at RB.
• Top level players at every position on defense.

Weaknesses

• Hard to find any but perhaps a little undersized at Running Back.
• Offensive line is perhaps not as strong as the rest of the team.
• Special teams unit is also average.

Key Player – Offense

Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) QB – It was a tough call given some of the A+ rated stars on offense but the signal caller is key to every team and in Mahomes, the AFC West has the best in the NFL at present and a 2x Super Bowl winner.

Key Player – Defense

Joey Bosa (Chargers) OLB – This could be Chandler Jones, Khalil Mack or Chris Jones but Bosa just about shades it given his energy and leadership qualities in what is looking like an unbelievably strong defensive unit.

Conclusion

The AFC West is rated by many as the powerhouse division in the NFL and that stands to reason when you check out the squad and in particular the starters. This team would give opposing head coaches a nightmare trying to figure out the match-ups. They would likely be favourites to win any NFC Divisional representative team tournament in my view.

Overall Team Rating – A

A squad and a team with very few weaknesses, especially in the starting roles. The AFC West were expected to be a juggernaut and so it has proved.

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