The AFC West has been mostly ruled by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, so calling it a competitive division didn’t quite fit… for a long time. But last season, things changed.
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Rookie Bo Nix’s polished and surprisingly impactful debut in Denver helped the Broncos join the Chiefs and Chargers in the postseason, giving the division three playoff teams. For the Chargers, it was Justin Herbert’s emergence as a true franchise quarterback that has been a game-changer.
And with the Raiders bringing in Geno Smith this offseason, all four teams suddenly look playoff-worthy… making the AFC West one of the best divisions in football for quarterback competition. In fact, Shannon Sharpe says that the AFC West could very well be the second-best division for QB competition.
“You got Patrick Mahomes, you got Justin Herbert, you got Bo Nix, and Geno Smith. That might be the second-best division in football as far as quarterbacks,” Sharpe said on an episode of Nightcap, pointing to how every team now has a proven or ascending starter.
This claim isn’t an exaggeration either.
Patrick Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls and remains the gold standard at the QB position in the league. Herbert, who is now working under Jim Harbaugh, hasn’t stopped throwing dimes since his debut. For context, Herbert, in late 2024, set the NFL record for most passing yards through the first five seasons of a career.
Meanwhile, Bo Nix, paired with Sean Payton, showcased veteran-like command in his rookie year, as he threw for 3,775 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns.
And between these three mercurial talents, the AFC West now sees Geno Smith reunited with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas and joined by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, fresh off winning the National Championship with the Buckeyes.
So which division did Shannon Sharpe rank at No. 1? No surprise, it’s the AFC North.
“You got two of the top four quarterbacks in one division [Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow], Aaron Rodgers, and then yeah, Cleveland [four QBs], even if we ain’t giving them nothing. But with those two top four guys, and Rodgers, I can see that,” he explained.
Chad Johnson, Sharpe’s Nightcap co-host, wasn’t ready to let the NFC East go unnoticed, however.
“Whoa, whoa. NFC East. What are we talking about? Russ[el Wilson], Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, Dak [Prescott]…” Ocho said, laying out the division’s own strong claim.
Sharpe acknowledged the point but quickly circled back to why he thinks the AFC West edges out in comparison:
“Patrick Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls. You got Justin Herbert. And you got a Bo Nix, who is up and coming now,” he argued, underscoring the fine margins between the divisions.
In the former NFL TE’s eyes, while Daniels was a superior talent to Bo Nix in a head-to-head comparison, Patrick Mahomes and Geno Smith seemed to edge out their counterparts in Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson. However, it is when comparing Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert that both Ocho and Unc seemed to hit a dead end.
Regardless, by the end, Sharpe stuck with his order: AFC North first, AFC West second, with NFC East in the mix. His reasoning was clear that the combination of Patrick Mahomes, a host of elite resumes, and rising talent makes the AFC West too strong to ignore, even if it still sits a notch below the North.
