For the first time in years, the AFC West looks like an all-around competitive division in the NFL. It’s been dominated by one team, the Kansas City Chiefs, for nearly a decade, and while the Chiefs are still the favorites, they’re by no means a shoo-in division title winner. The Denver Broncos look like a team ready to contend, the Los Angeles Chargers should still be competitive, and the Las Vegas Raiders have retooled their coaching staff and roster.
In 2025, the success of every AFC West team will hinge on a few key, “make or break” players. If these players, who aren’t necessarily the superstars of their squad, perform well, then the entire team around should follow suit. However, if the players have a down year, then their team might suffer some drastic consequences.
Today, we’ll be continuing our series on identifying these make or break players for every team in Madden 26. We only have the West divisions left, as we’ve already covered the AFC East, NFC East, AFC South, NFC South, AFC North, and NFC North. So now, let’s go over the AFC West and each team’s make or break player.
LT Jaylon Moore, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s only fair that we start with the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are in the midst of a “dynasty,” but they look truly vulnerable for the first time in years. After an absolute drubbing in the Super Bowl, you could argue that KC got worse in the offseason. While quarterback Patrick Mahomes will always be able to keep the Chiefs as contenders, the roster definitely has some questions surrounding it.
Perhaps the biggest question with the team is up front on offense. Specifically, the left side of the offensive line. In the offseason, the Chiefs shipped out perennial All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to Chicago, leaving Mike Caliendo to replace some huge shoes. While Caliendo could be another make or break player, we’re looking at newly signed Jaylon Moore as the player the entire offense hinges on.
We saw just how terrible Kansas City protected Mahomes in the Super Bowl, and if Moore can’t come in to provide some stability on the left side of the line, the Chiefs are in trouble. While they do have rookie Josh Simmons waiting in the wings, KC signed Moore to a four-year deal, so he’s going to have a fairly long leash. If Moore performs well, the offense should be able to hum as it has in the past, but if he becomes a liability, a repeat of the Super Bowl every week could be on the table.
RB J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos
Up next, we have the Denver Broncos, who surprised everyone in 2024 when they made a playoff run with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center. In 2025, the Broncos are rolling with a majority of the same offensive players, with a couple of key exceptions.
These exceptions largely lie in the backfield, as rookie RJ Harvey and veteran J.K. Dobbins were brought in to fix a disheveled running back room. While Harvey could be a rookie sensation, it’s likely Dobbins who will get the starting reps at first, given his experience and performance with the Chargers last season. Dobbins proved he could be an RB1 in LA, but once again, he was bitten by the injury bug, causing him to miss a handful of games.
If the Broncos want any chance of defeating the Chiefs in the AFC West, they need a better rushing attack. It’s easily going to be the team’s biggest weakness in Madden 26. However, if Dobbins can come in, become a workhorse, and avoid injury, Denver’s offense becomes far less one-dimensional. Dobbins is a reliable scorer in the redzone, but if he can break off some long runs and extend drives, it will help out Bo Nix immensely. Of course, the other side of the coin is that Dobbins gets injured once again, and RJ Harvey is suddenly the main back, which could either be a great or bad thing for the Broncos.
RB Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
We’re going to be sticking with the running backs, as the Las Vegas Raiders have a lot riding on rookie back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty was a Heisman runner-up in 2024 out of Boise State, putting up numbers that rivaled Barry Sanders’ when he was at Oklahoma State in the 80s. This success catapulted Jeanty into the limelight, resulting in him being selected with the fourth overall pick in the draft.
Now, he’s the primary running back for the Raiders, who desperately need production at that position after a 2024 campaign that saw no one on the roster eclipse 500 rushing yards. Fortunately, not all the offensive pressure is on Jeanty, as Las Vegas traded for veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who should pair nicely with weapons Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers.
However, if Jeanty can even come close to the production he had at Boise State, the Raiders are a completely different team. They should have a lethal passing and rushing attack, along with a decent offensive line. As we all know, though, rookie running backs are a coin flip. Jeanty could very well struggle to break tackles and bounce outside in the NFL, at least at first. Little production from him and the other running backs doesn’t doom the Raiders, but it certainly makes them far less of a threat in the AFC West.
LB Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers
We’re going to conclude the AFC West with our first defensive player, as the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t change much up on their offense aside from adding running back Najee Harris, who is another make or break player for them. However, the defense is a far bigger question mark for the Chargers, and the success of the unit largely hinges on linebacker Khalil Mack.
Mack was a free agent the Chargers decided to re-sign after the departure of longtime franchise player Joey Bosa, who was our make or break player choice for the Buffalo Bills. With Bosa gone, the defense will turn to Mack to lead them, and it’s a job he’s thrived in before. That was a few years ago, though, and Mack’s production has been steadily dropping since he arrived in Los Angeles. In 2024, he only managed six sacks, which was a massive decline from his 17 sacks in 2023.
In 2025, the Chargers need Mack to at least rebound slightly from his down year in 2024. If he can bounce back and become a force on the LA defense, the defense should have a much easier time stopping opposing offenses as a whole. If Mack continues to decline, however, someone else will need to step up on defense and lead the way in the post-Bosa era.
That wraps up our picks for every AFC West team’s make or break players. Did we get the list right? Let us know down in the comments below.
