After Three Straight Divisional Wins, Chargers Are Now Team To Beat In The AFC West
Los Angeles has beat every divisional rival to start the season
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the standard of the NFL — and certainly the AFC West — for the past several years. But their grip on the division is loosening thanks to the rise of a rival.
Heading into the season, no one had super high expectations for the Los Angeles Chargers. Sure, they made some improvements on both sides of the ball, but questions still remained about what quarterback Justin Herbert could do.
The vibe around the Chargers was, "I’ll wait to get excited about them when I start seeing good results."
Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers passes the ball under pressure from DJ. Jones of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Well, the results are in, and through Week 3, they look pretty darn good.
The Chargers are currently undefeated, and look like a classic Jim Harbaugh-coached team with a solid run game, even more solid defense, all guided by a quarterback who is taking the next stage in his development.
And he’s doing it all without sign-stealing!
But it's not just the undefeated record that’s so surprising; it’s who they've beaten.
In Week 1, they traveled to Brazil to win a tight one against the Chiefs. That was followed by a beatdown of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. And on Sunday, they came back from certain defeat to take down the Broncos.
For those of you keeping track at home, that’s three statement wins against division rivals.
That’s insane.
To be the best in your division, you have to beat those within it, and they have done that. Can they sustain this success? Who knows, there are 14 more weeks of action, and things change in the blink of an eye. Plus, they have three more games against their division rivals, and those teams might mop the floor with the Chargers in Round 2.
But for right now, everyone in that division is chasing Los Angeles’ coattails. We haven’t been able to say that since Phillip Rivers was quarterback for the Bolts.