AFC West Betting Preview 2023: Futures Picks & Predictions for All Teams

As we round the corner to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, Sportsbook Review is dropping division previews, focusing on division props offered at our best NFL betting sites. Here is our AFC West betting preview.

The AFC West has been the Kansas City Chiefs' domain since 2016. NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes has captured the division crown every season in his six-year career.

Coming off a season where he captured his second Super Bowl title, Super Bowl MVP, and league MVP, is a letdown in store? Will either of the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, or Las Vegas Raiders challenge for the spot? Or is it bets to bet on status quo in the AFC West?

Check out our 2023 AFC West betting preview based on the odds from our best NFL betting sites (pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale). 

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AFC West betting preview 2023

Chiefs to win AFC West (-160 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Chiefs have taken the division crown every year since 2016 and, as Super Bowl champions, they're heavily favored to again top the AFC West in 2023. 

Though the Chargers and Broncos have made significant improvements, the Chiefs are still among the league's elite. They're the class of the AFC until proven otherwise. We recommend making a preseason bet on K.C. to win the division. The odds will only lengthen as the season progresses.

Division exacta: Chiefs 1st, Chargers 2nd, Broncos 3rd, Raiders 4th (+300 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

We made our case for the value on this division exacta in our Raiders team betting preview.

The Chiefs finished four wins clear of the Chargers last season. While things should be tighter in the division in 2023, we believe L.A. can close the gap and Kansas City can still finish atop the West. We're also confident the Broncos will surpass the Raiders in the division standings this season. 

There's plenty of reason for optimism with Denver this year, particularly after their coaching change from Nathanial Hackett to Sean Payton. That's a substantial step up in tactics. Whereas, in Vegas, Josh McDaniels remains unproven as a head coach.

Most division passing TDs: Justin Herbert (+400 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

I'm all the way in on Justin Herbert entering the 2023 season, as evidenced by our Chargers betting preview. In it, I made the case for why bettors should consider taking the Chargers as the highest scoring team in the league and Herbert to lead the league in passing yards.

If you're not comfortable in those Bolts-against-the-league approaches, consider Herbert to have the most passing touchdowns in the division. Mahomes is the betting favorite at -330 after he led the league with 41 touchdown passes last year. 

Mahomes will be relying on a much less experienced group of receivers this year, led by Marquez Valdes-Scantling and recent draft picks Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Rashee Rice. The Chiefs also lost offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

The Chargers added to their receiving corps and are turning to Kellen Moore at OC. I believe those changes will pay immediate dividends and is worth the bet at 4/1.

Raiders Under 2.5 division wins (-210 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This bet was -175 when we spotted it in July. To lose this bet, the Raiders would have to take three of six games from the Payton-led Broncos, high-scoring Chargers, and defending champ Chiefs. 

Las Vegas swept Denver and took one from L.A. each of the past two seasons, but the Raiders are a team in turmoil entering 2023.

McDaniels has shipped out some talented pieces in favor of former New England Patriots, and star players Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs have both shown displeasure with both the team's direction and their individual standing.

We're betting against the Raiders in 2023.

Here are our best NFL betting sites:

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• bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
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• FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
• DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review

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• Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)