AFC West
Oldest intact division in the NFL, with four original teams.
The AFC West is one of the four divisions in the NFL’s American Football Conference, made up of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers. It started in 1960 as the Western Division of the American Football League and, when the leagues merged in 1970, moved into the NFL largely unchanged. The division has produced 21 Super Bowl appearances, starting with the Chiefs facing the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I, and has won ten titles—second only to the NFC East. Through the 2023 season, the Chiefs lead the division with four Super Bowl wins. The Broncos have the most appearances with eight, followed by the Chiefs (seven) and Raiders (five); the Chargers lost their only trip in Super Bowl XXIX. Two division teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls: the Broncos in 1997 and 1998, and the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023. The Broncos claimed their 16th AFC West title in 2025, the most recent. In 2022, the Chiefs’ win made the AFC West the only NFL division where all four teams had 15 division titles each.
The original AFL West had four teams: the Dallas Texans (who moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became the Chiefs), Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers (who moved to San Diego in 1961 and back to Los Angeles in 2017), and Oakland Raiders (who moved to Los Angeles in 1982, back to Oakland in 1995, and to Las Vegas in 2020). These four have been together since the division’s start, making the AFC West the oldest division in the NFL in its current form. Because they’ve played each other twice a year for over 60 years, the whole division is considered one large rivalry. The Cincinnati Bengals spent the last two AFL seasons in the AFL West, even though they were east of Houston (the Oilers, then in the AFL East). In 1970, the Bengals and Oilers moved to the AFC Central (now the AFC North), where they formed rivalries with Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The Seattle Seahawks joined the AFC West in 1977 after their first season in the NFC West, then returned to the NFC West in 2002. The expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in the AFC West in 1976 before moving to the NFC Central in 1977.
In the first four years after the NFL’s 2002 realignment, each AFC West team won a division title: Oakland in 2002, Kansas City in 2003, San Diego in 2004, and Denver in 2005.
Quick Facts
- Title
- AFC West
- Sport
- American football
- League
- National Football League
- Conference
- American Football Conference
- Founded
- 1960 (as the American Football League Western Division)
- Teams
- 4
- Country
- United States
- Champion
- Denver Broncos (16th title)
- Champ Season
- 2025
- Most Titles
- Kansas City Chiefs (17 titles)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The AFC West originated in 1960 as the American Football League's Western Division. Its original four members were the Dallas Texans (who moved to Kansas City in 1963 as the Chiefs), Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers (who moved to San Diego in 1961, then back to Los Angeles in 2017), and Oakland Raiders (who moved to Los Angeles in 1982, back to Oakland in 1995, and Las Vegas in 2020). These four teams have remained in the division since its inception, making the AFC West arguably the oldest division in its present form in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals played the last two AFL seasons in the AFL West despite being further east than Houston; they moved to the AFC Central in 1970. The Seattle Seahawks were added to the AFC West in 1977 after spending their expansion season in the NFC West, and moved back to the NFC West in 2002. The first-year Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 played as a member of the AFC West before being aligned into the NFC Central in 1977.
Reader's Guide
The AFC West is historically significant as the only NFL division where all four teams have played each other in the same division since 1960, fostering intense rivalries. The division has produced ten Super Bowl victories, with the Kansas City Chiefs leading with four wins (including back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023). The Denver Broncos have appeared in the most Super Bowls (eight) and won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. The Raiders have appeared in five Super Bowls, while the Chargers lost their lone appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. In 2022, Kansas City's division title made the AFC West the only NFL division where all four teams had the same number of division titles (15 each). The division was often cited as one of the NFL's toughest in the early and mid-2000s, though it also experienced weak seasons, such as 2008 when the San Diego Chargers won the division with an 8–8 record, and 2011 when the Broncos won with an 8–8 record. The AFC West, along with the AFC (formerly AFL) East, is the oldest NFL division in terms of creation date (1960).
Did You Know?
- The Denver Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, and the Kansas City Chiefs did so in 2022 and 2023.
- The division has sent teams to the Super Bowl twenty-one times, winning ten times.
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