2022 AFC West Odds: Season Win Totals, Division & Playoff Betting Lines, and Picks

Betting odds have been available at sportsbooks throughout the offseason on various markets involving the teams and players in the AFC West, and after a busy offseason, competition has thickened for the Kansas City Chiefs. With training camps preparing to open, it’s a good time to review AFC West odds, as well as lines to make the playoffs, win totals, and other betting markets.

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Odds to Win AFC West

Here are odds to win the AFC West from four sportsbooks around the betting marketplace:

Kansas City Chiefs

As long as the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, they are the team to beat in the AFC West. It may not look like it to start the season, as the offense adjusts to not having Tyreek Hill in the lineup, and the offense could use a committee approach until either JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or rookie Skyy Moore emerge as the next go-to guy for Mahomes.

Once someone does assume that role, the offense could be as explosive as ever.

However, regardless of what happens with the offensive, the defense may hold the Chiefs back. To be fair, the Chiefs defense ranked eighth in points allowed last season (21.4) but struggled to rush the passer (31 sacks; 29th in the league) and gave up 250+ passing yards per game (27th). It is going to be hard to win in this division if you can’t defend the pass.

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert was one of two quarterbacks in the NFL to throw for 5,000+ yards (Tom Brady was the other). The offense ranked inside the top five in points (27.9) and yards per game (390.2). Despite having one of the better offenses in the NFL, the Chargers still missed the playoffs. But when you look at the defensive side of the stat sheet, it is not hard to see why.

It is difficult to win games when opposing teams average 360 yards and 27 points a game.

Acquiring Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson should help the unit improve. But the biggest difference maker may be defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day. He helped the Rams develop one of the better run defenses in the league the last couple of years. The Chargers defense ranked 30th against the run last year (138.9 yards/game allowed).

Denver Broncos

Denver was a team many have deemed a quarterback away from becoming a potential contender. Russell Wilson is a proven veteran who should raise the level of play for the entire offense. There will be some growing pains, of course. But once Wilson clicks with his receivers, the Broncos offense will be dangerous.

In the interim, they may need to lean on their defense a little more to help them win games. The secondary was a top-10 unit last season and should be even better this year. A better pass rush helps against teams like the Chiefs and Chargers. Randy Gregory and a healthy Bradley Chubb should improve off last season’s sack count (tied for 18th with 36).

The defense allowed nine touchdowns on the ground in 2021 (tied for first with the Patriots) and was third in scoring, allowing 18.9/game.

Las Vegas Raiders

With his offensive pedigree, fans hope new head coach Josh McDaniels can work some magic on Derek Carr and a Raiders offense that ranked 11th in total yards but 18th in scoring last season. Acquiring wide receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers should help. However, the Raiders failed to improve an offensive line that struggled to protect Carr and open lanes in the run game.

The secondary was one of the better units in the NFL last year, but the defense still allowed close to 26 points/game (26th) while limiting opposing offenses to 337 total yards (14th).

AFC West Race Might Be Most Competitive in NFL in 2022

Kansas City has owned the AFC West, winning it the last six seasons. For the last three, they have been heavy favorites. It helps that none of the other teams in the division have been good enough to give the Chiefs much of a fight. But that does not appear to be the case this season.

After losing Hill, the Chiefs offense may take a step back this season. Due to various player acquisitions and coaching changes, the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos are expected to put up much more of a fight. How much of a fight depends on how quickly teams can gel and get on the same page.

But all three have enough potential to win the division. Does that mean the AFC West will crown a new champ this season? Not necessarily, but on paper, it does not look like the AFC West will be a cakewalk for Kansas City.

Our Pick: Chiefs. Losing Hill hurts, but they still have one of the most explosive offenses in football. That may not be enough to win the Super Bowl, but it should be enough to win the division.

Sleeper Pick: Raiders. Many things will need to go their way, but if they do…

How Many AFC West Teams Will Make The Playoffs?

Here are each AFC West team’s odds to make the NFL Playoff odds:

Kansas City has not missed the playoffs since 2014, and it is unlikely to miss the postseason this year. According to the odds, the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos each have a 60+% chance of making the postseason in 2022. The Raiders are the only team with + odds, giving them a 34.48-38.46% chance.

Our Pick: No one would fault you for taking the Chiefs, Chargers, or Broncos, but Raiders +190 presents nice value (Caesars).

AFC West Win Totals

Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Denver all face double-digit win totals across the sports betting marketplace:

Our Pick: Broncos over 10.5 at +135 (FanDuel). Denver needs to win four more games than last season to surpass the total at FanDuel. That’s a significant swing from one season to the next, but not impossible with Russell Wilson leading the offense.

Additional Betting Markets For AFC West Teams And Players

You can see the latest Super Bowl odds for all 32 teams on our Super Bowl 57 odds page. If you are interested in award winners or player prop markets, the following pages may interest you:

• Brandon Staley (Chargers) and Nathaniel Hackett (Broncos) are No. 1 and 2 on many oddsboards for NFL Coach of the Year odds.
• Khalil Mack has long Comeback Player of the Year odds but could be a decent sleeper pick.
• Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson are in the conversation for odds to win NFL MVP.
• Joey Bosa has the shortest price among AFC West players in NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds.
• Offensive Player of the Year odds: Could Davante Adams be it this year?
• Patrick Mahomes will always be in the conversation in the most passing yards prop.
• AFC West teams are known more for passing than rushing, but Javonte Williams could be a decent sleeper in the prop for most rushing yards.

You can find odds for the week’s games during the season on our NFL odds page. Are you interested in the odds for Week 1? Check out our NFL Week 1 odds post.

AFC West Division Betting History

Division Winners

If history is any indication, Kansas City will win the AFC West in 2022. Not only have the Chiefs won it the last six years, but the preseason betting favorite has won the division in seven of the last 10 seasons and 12 of the last 20.

The table lists the winners with their preseason odds for the last 20 seasons (odds via SportsOddsHistory.com):

Odds to Make/Miss Playoffs

The odds for AFC West teams to make/miss the playoffs are listed in the table for the last five seasons (winning odds in bold):

AFC West Season Win Totals

The win totals and odds for the AFC West teams are listed in the table for the last five seasons (winning odds in bold):

AFC West Betting FAQs