The AFC West is currently set to have three teams in the NFL Playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs already have the division locked up and are competing for the No. 1 seed. Then there are the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos fighting to stay in postseason contention.
These two teams happen to also have two of the best defenses in the NFL. They both only allow 17.6 points per game, which is tied for the top spot with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chargers defense is led by Derwin James at safety and a pass rushing duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. They consistently make life hard on opposing offenses. Then quarterback Justin Herbert has to make just enough happen on offense.
The Broncos defense has one of the best corners in the NFL in Pat Surtain II. They also have a nice pass rushing pair with Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper who have a combined 19.5 sacks.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has also had an up-and-down season, but this defense has been able to cover most of his downs so far.
This game probably comes down to if Nix or Herbert can not only make the plays to win near the end, but more importantly avoid the disastrous mistake that costs the team as both defenses smell blood in the water.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Chargers as 2.5-point favorites at home.
Here is who our staff are going with:
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