2016 AFC West Division Predictions & Odds – NFL Expert Picks to Win AFC West

2016 AFC West Division Predictions & Odds – NFL Expert Picks to Win AFC West: The odds to win the 2016 AFC West Division for the upcoming 2016 NFL season have been released by Bovada Sportsbook and the odds makers at Bovada have installed the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos as the +188 favorites to win. The Broncos are followed by the Kansas City Chiefs at +198 odds, Oakland Raiders at +283 odds and the San Diego Chargers at +645 odds to win the AFC West this season. Continue reading below for NSAwins.com’s team of expert NFL handicappers’ 2016 NFL picks to win the AFC West Division. NSAwins.com is the nation’s premier source for expert football handicapping information and the best expert 2016 NFL predictions to beat the vegas odds.

2016 AFC West Division Predictions and Odds to Win

1. Oakland Raiders(+283 odds to win AFC West at Bovada) – The Oakland Raiders showed considerable improvement under first year head coach Jack Del Rio last season as they more than doubled their win total of 3 from the previous season with a 7-9 overall record last year. The Raiders haven’t finished at .500 or better and haven’t made the playoffs since they reached the Super Bowl back in the 2002 season but this year is looking like the year the Silver and Black finally get back to the NFL playoffs. The Raiders have a promising future with quarterback Derek Carr who threw for 3987 yards and 32 touchdowns against only 13 interceptions last season. The Raiders had only the 24th rated total offense last season but should continue to improve this season with solid skill position players in wideout Amari Cooper and running back Latavius Murray. Defensively is where the Raiders will really shine this season and that starts with standout defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack. Mack is the arguably the best defensive player in the game and became the first NFL player in history to be named all-pro in the same season at two different positions. Mack headlines a talented Raiders defense that got better in the NFL draft with 3 defensive picks in the first 3 rounds plus in free agency with outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Sean Smith. The Raiders should have a top 5-10 defense this season and lead the Silver and Black to the division title.

2. Kansas City Chiefs(+198 odds to win AFC West at Bovada) – The Kansas City Chiefs have won 11, 9 and 11 games in head coach Andy Reid’s first three seasons but have not been able to find much postseason success. The Chiefs beat Houston 30-0 in the wild card round last playoffs but ended up losing 27-20 at New England in the divisional round. The big reason why we can’t get behind Kansas City and put much faith in them doing damage in the postseason is Alex Smith at quarterback. Smith is a solid quarterback but he simply isn’t a game changer and can’t be counted on to lead the Chiefs down the field when they absolutely must have it against playoff caliber teams. Smith threw for 3486 yards and 20 touchdowns last season against only 7 interceptions but the Chiefs ended up ranking 27th in the NFL in total offense. Not good. Defensively the Chiefs were outstanding last season with the 7th total defense in the NFL and should once again be a formidable unit although they will miss departed cornerback Sean Smith. The Chiefs should win 10 games again this season and be a wild car team but will once again be going home early when the playoffs start due to their quarterback in our opinion.

3. Denver Broncos(+198 odds to win AFC West at Bovada) – The Denver Broncos won their 3rd Super Bowl Trophy in franchise history last season and sent a proper farewell to quarterback Peyton Manning in the process. Manning had his worst season in his Hall of Fame career last year for Denver but was carried to the Super Bowl and ultimately won it thanks to a dominant Denver defense that some considered to be amongst the handful of best of all-time. The Broncos will look to veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez to duplicate what Manning did last season by simply managing the game and not putting Denver’s defense in bad field position so that they can do their thing and win games. That will be easier said than done as Sanchez is a solid player but is not someone we trust when the going gets tough especially when the weather turns in Colorado late in the season. The Broncos will rely on a solid running game to carry the load offensively but they shouldn’t have much concern when it comes to their defense. The Broncos finished with the #1 overall defense last season and they should challenge for that mark again this season with most of their starters returning plus solid additions in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the NFL draft in defensive end Adam Gotsis and safety Justin Simmons.

4. San Diego Chargers(+645 odds to win AFC West at Bovada) – Head coach Mike McCoy is firmly on the hot seat in San Diego as he enters his 4th season with an overall record of 22-26 and coming off of a horrible 4-12 season last year. The Chargers still have one of the game’s best gun slingers in quarterback Phillip Rivers but he isn’t getting any younger and, in our opinion, also isn’t getting any better. Rivers threw for 4792 yards and 29 touchdowns last season but still threw 13 interceptions and has the tendency to throw key picks at the worst of times. The Chargers offense was the 9th rated total offense in the NFL last season but only managed 3 points in 3 separate key division games against Kansas City and Denver in November and December that illustrated how flawed they were against the NFL’s elite defenses. Defensively, the Chargers ranked 20th in total defense last season but didn’t add nearly enough in free agency or via the NFL draft to make us think they will be improved much at all this season. It’s going to be another long frustrating season for Chargers fans.

2016 AFC West Prediction: Oakland Raiders to win at +283 odds

Odds to Win the 2016 AFC West
Denver Broncos +188
Kansas City Chiefs +198
Oakland Raiders +283
San Diego Chargers +645

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