AFC West
Oldest NFL division in its present form since 1960.
The AFC West is one of the four divisions in the NFL's American Football Conference. It consists of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers. This division was originally created in 1960 as the Western Division of the American Football League and, when the leagues merged in 1970, it moved into the NFL largely unchanged. Over the years, AFC West teams have made twenty-one Super Bowl appearances and won ten of those games, a total surpassed only by the NFC East.
As of the end of the 2023 season, the Chiefs lead the division with four Super Bowl victories. The Broncos have made the most Super Bowl trips among AFC West teams, with eight appearances, while the Chiefs have been to seven and the Raiders five. The Chargers have only one Super Bowl appearance, a loss in Super Bowl XXIX. Two division members 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 division crown. When Kansas City won the division in 2022, it marked the only time in NFL history that all four teams in a division had exactly fifteen titles each.
The division's history began in 1960 with four original AFL West teams: the Dallas Texans (who moved to Kansas City in 1963 and became the Chiefs), the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers (who moved to San Diego in 1961 and returned to Los Angeles in 2017), and the Oakland Raiders (who moved to Los Angeles in 1982, back to Oakland in 1995, and then to Las Vegas in 2020). These four franchises have remained together in the AFC West since its founding, making it the oldest division in the NFL in its current form. Because they have played each other at least twice a year for more than sixty years, the entire division is considered one large rivalry.
The Cincinnati Bengals spent the final two AFL seasons in the AFL West, despite being located farther east than Houston, where the AFL Eastern Division's Oilers played. In 1970, the Bengals and Oilers moved to the AFC Central (now the AFC North), where they developed rivalries with the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Seattle Seahawks joined the AFC West in 1977 after their expansion season in the NFC West, then returned to the NFC West in 2002.
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 with four charter members: 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 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 teams have remained together since the division's inception, making the AFC West the oldest division in the NFL in its present form. The Cincinnati Bengals played in the AFL West for the last two AFL seasons before moving to the AFC Central in 1970. The Seattle Seahawks were added in 1977 and moved back to the NFC West in 2002; the first-year Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in the AFC West in 1976 before moving to the NFC Central in 1977.
Reader's Guide
The AFC West is notable for its stability and intense rivalries, as its four current teams have played each other at least twice a year for over 60 years. The division has produced ten Super Bowl victories, with the Kansas City Chiefs leading with four wins, followed by the Denver Broncos with three (as of the 2023 season). The Broncos have appeared in the most Super Bowls (eight), the Chiefs in seven, and the Raiders in five; the Chargers lost their lone appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. Two division members have won back-to-back Super Bowls: the Broncos in 1997 and 1998, and the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023. 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 has experienced both strength and weakness: in the early 2000s it was considered one of the NFL's toughest, yet in 2008 it sent the San Diego Chargers to the playoffs with an 8–8 record, the NFL's weakest division winner since 1985. In 2010, the Raiders swept the division 6–0 but failed to make the playoffs.
Did You Know?
- The AFC West is the only NFL division where all four teams have the same number of division titles (15 each) as of 2022.
- The Denver Broncos have appeared in the most Super Bowls of any AFC West team, with eight appearances.
- The Kansas City Chiefs have the most Super Bowl wins in the division, with four victories.
- The division has sent teams to the Super Bowl twenty-one times, winning ten.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced