If you’re trying to predict an NFL team’s end-of-season record, the wrong way to do it is to bring up the schedule and pick results of each game. You simply can’t hope to predict stuff that well, and you’d be better served finding a method that assigns a percent chance of winning each game, adding up those percentages and converting it to a win/loss record. Going game-by-game is silly.
But that’s what I’m doing.
Because of that opening paragraph, what follows isn’t betting advice. It is just a look at the schedule for each NFL team in 2026 and how things might shape up for them this season. Below, check out the 2026 week-by-week results for each NFL team with some thoughts on their outlook.
AFC West below. All odds cited are per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Game-by-Game Results for 2026: AFC West
Denver Broncos
2025 record: 14-3 Win over/under: 9.5
| Week | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | at KC | W |
| The Broncos pick up where they left off with a win over their division rival. | ||
| 2 | JAC | W |
| It’s the Julius Thomas Bowl! | ||
| 3 | LAR | L |
| In an alternate universe, this is how last year’s third-place game went. | ||
| 4 | at SF | W |
| The 49ers are too banged up to take down the Broncos. | ||
| 5 | at LAC | W |
| The Chargers are good, but the Broncos are probably on another level for now. | ||
| 6 | SEA | W |
| Three straight wins over the 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks is a real stamp. | ||
| 7 | at ARI | W |
| Denver gets to 6-1 and is one of the classes of the AFC. | ||
| 8 | KC | L |
| The Chiefs remind Denver that even after a bad year they are relevant. | ||
| 9 | at CAR | W |
| The Panthers are no match for the Denver defense. | ||
| 10 | BYE | |
| 11 | LV | W |
| Getting the Raiders at home after a bye is as close as you can get to two byes. | ||
| 12 | at PIT | W |
| Pittsburgh isn’t very good this year, but look at these five games coming out of the bye — the Steelers are EASILY the toughest matchup the Broncos have here. | ||
| 13 | MIA | W |
| How many points can the Broncos score here? | ||
| 14 | at NYJ | W |
| These two teams played a slop-filled 13-11 game in Europe last year. This one should be more exciting. | ||
| 15 | at LV | W |
| Seriously — Raiders-Steelers-Dolphins-Jets-Raiders coming out of the bye? That’s so slick. | ||
| 16 | BUF | L |
| The Bills remind the Broncos that there are in fact still good teams out there. | ||
| 17 | at NE | W |
| Denver locked up the AFC West weeks ago and stay in the hunt for the AFC 1 seed here. | ||
| 18 | LAC | L |
| With not much left to play for, the Broncos take it easy in Week 18. | ||
Kansas City Chiefs
2025 record: 6-11 Win over/under: 10.5
| Week | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | DEN | L |
| This might go differently if it were later in the season, but as Patrick Mahomes’ first game back, I get scared. | ||
| 2 | IND | W |
| The Chiefs get their first win of the season against the Colts in a battle of QBs returning from injury. | ||
| 3 | at MIA | W |
| Aaaaaand they’re over .500 that fast. | ||
| 4 | at LV | W |
| If you were worried about a QB’s health, getting another team with QB health problems plus the Dolphins, Raiders and a bye this early is helpful. | ||
| 5 | BYE | |
| 6 | LAC | L |
| The Chiefs have lost two in a row to the Chargers after having won seven straight. Make it three in a row. | ||
| 7 | at SEA | L |
| KC is no match for the defending champions. | ||
| 8 | at DEN | W |
| Mahomes gets his revenge on the Broncos for that Week 1 loss. | ||
| 9 | NYJ | W |
| The Jets are better than most expected, but they’re still no match for the Chiefs. | ||
| 10 | at ATL | L |
| The Falcons show that the Chiefs aren’t quite as good as they once were. | ||
| 11 | ARI | W |
| At risk of falling back to .500, the Chiefs stave it off. | ||
| 12 | at BUF | L |
| They can usually beat the Bills in the playoffs, but the Chiefs really struggle against Buffalo in the regular season. | ||
| 13 | at LAR | W |
| This year’s Chiefs need a signature win, and they get it here. | ||
| 14 | at CIN | L |
| The Bengals’ offensive studs handle the Chiefs. | ||
| 15 | NE | L |
| Two straight losses drop the Chiefs down to .500. | ||
| 16 | SF | W |
| Kansas City takes down the 49ers to stay alive. | ||
| 17 | at LAC | L |
| A Week 17 loss to the Chargers sets off alarm bells. | ||
| 18 | LV | W |
| The Chiefs need a Week 18 win and help. But they do their part. | ||
Las Vegas Raiders
2025 record: 3-14 Win over/under: 5.5
| Week | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | MIA | L |
| The Kirk Cousins experience in Vegas gets off to a slow start. | ||
| 2 | at LAC | L |
| Being not very good is no fun. Being not very good in a good division is even less fun. | ||
| 3 | at NO | L |
| The Saints easily handle the Raiders, and the Fernando Mendoza murmurs have started. | ||
| 4 | KC | L |
| Las Vegas can’t get by the Chiefs. | ||
| 5 | at NE | L |
| An October of “Chiefs-Patriots-Bills-Rams” would be tough for any team. | ||
| 6 | BUF | L |
| The thing is, there’s no real reason for the Raiders to throw Mendoza out there during this murderer’s row schedule. | ||
| 7 | LAR | L |
| Cousins’ last hurrah as the Raiders fall to 0-7. | ||
| 8 | at NYJ | L |
| The team makes the move to Mendoza, but it doesn’t go well yet. | ||
| 9 | at SF | L |
| A trip to San Francisco doesn’t work out. | ||
| 10 | SEA | L |
| The Seahawks should get by the Raiders pretty easily. | ||
| 11 | at DEN | L |
| Mendoza falls to 0-4 in a divisional game. | ||
| 12 | at CLE | W |
| It happens! The Raiders are the last team to knock a “0” off their record by beating the Browns. | ||
| 13 | BYE | |
| 14 | LAC | W |
| After the bye, the Raiders and Mendoza make it two in a row. | ||
| 15 | DEN | L |
| The Broncos end the winning streak. | ||
| 16 | TEN | W |
| That’s three out of four wins for a Raiders peaking late. | ||
| 17 | at ARI | L |
| The Cardinals bring the Raiders back down to earth. | ||
| 18 | at KC | L |
| With the Chiefs needing the win, the Raiders can’t measure up. | ||
Los Angeles Chargers
2025 record: 11-6 Win over/under: 9.5
| Week | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | ARI | W |
| The Chargers had to love their first two weeks when the schedule was announced. | ||
| 2 | LV | W |
| A 2-0 start is a nice beginning when you play in the same division as the Broncos and Chiefs. | ||
| 3 | at BUF | L |
| The Bills easily handle the Chargers to give LA its first loss. | ||
| 4 | at SEA | W |
| A win over the Seahawks is the statement this iteration of the Chargers really needs. | ||
| 5 | DEN | L |
| Denver still has the Chargers’ number. | ||
| 6 | at KC | W |
| …but the Chargers make a statement against the Chiefs. | ||
| 7 | BYE | |
| 8 | at LAR | L |
| The battle of Los Angeles goes to the Rams. | ||
| 9 | HOU | W |
| The Chargers make another statement by getting revenge on the Texans for their playoff loss. | ||
| 10 | at BAL | L |
| It’s the Keaton Mitchell revenge game! | ||
| 11 | NYJ | L |
| The Jets shock the Chargers to drop them down to .500. | ||
| 12 | NE | L |
| And a loss to the Patriots sets off alarm bells as the Chargers are 5-6. | ||
| 13 | at TB | W |
| The Bucs are no match for the Mike McDaniel offense. | ||
| 14 | at LV | L |
| “The Chargers are Chargering again” say the headlines as the Chargers drop to 6-7. | ||
| 15 | SF | W |
| With their backs against the wall, the Chargers beat the 49ers in a Jim Harbaugh past-and-present game. | ||
| 16 | at MIA | W |
| All the Mike McDaniel headlines | ||
| 17 | KC | W |
| The Chargers are still up against it and respond by sweeping the Chiefs. | ||
| 18 | at DEN | W |
| And with the Broncos having things locked down, they take it easy and the Chargers get the W. | ||
Final Standings
- Denver Broncos, 13-4
- Los Angeles Chargers, 10-7
- Kansas City Chiefs, 9-8
- Las Vegas Raiders, 3-14
The Broncos take down the division again, albeit with the AFC’s 2 seed this time. The Chargers ride their season-ending four-game winning streak to a Wild Card berth, while the Patriots miss out on a tiebreaker. Meanwhile, the Raiders are in the running for the first overall pick in the draft all year long, ultimately missing out on that on a tiebreaker.