Every team hopes to put themselves in a position to not only compete, but hold their spot in the Premier Madden League. What is a teams realistic ceiling in season 1? How good can each team be with their current roster, user, and divisional foes? Or how badly can things fall apart?
Lets dive into the AFC West
Raiders: King Mike
Chiefs: Matigy
Chargers: Codes
Broncos: DK
Raiders
Ceiling: 13-3, SB Contender
The Las Vegas Raiders have officially signed HC King Mike to a 5 Year contract, and with that come lofty expectations. While not perfect, this roster is still very talented at the top with Elite WR and HB on offense, and two dominant pass rushers on defense. I believe season one Mike will live up to or surpass expectations and make a serious contender in the AFC. As for long term Mike has some tough decisions to make, but Vegas has the right man for the job. -Bubba
Floor: 9-8, miss playoffs
Although KingMike is a very talented coach, this is a very difficult division, with elite QBs at the helm. This Raiders roster is lacking at QB starting Jimmy Garapolo, making it tough to compete both short and long term. I think Mike is still talented enough to compete for a playoff spot, but I could see Mike taking a couple tough division losses and dropping him to 9-8. -Bubba
Chiefs
Ceiling: 14-3, Super Bowl win
I kind of raised an eyebrow when it was announced a former Super Bowl winner would be taking over arguably the best team in the league. But when the rest of the division was announced, it make a bit more sense to me. The season 1 AFC Super Bowl representative will in fact come out of the AFC West, you can pin that, but the biggest question will be who? I give the early nod to Matigy as he will create a dangerous tandem with Mahomes and Pachecho giving fits to the rest of the division. While I still expect the Raiders and Broncos to remain competitive under an early rebuild, Matigy will have to take this opportunity and run season 1 all the way to the Super Bowl. -Arod
Floor: 11-6, Wildcard, Divisional Round
Not too much of a Floor if you ask me. It will be difficult for a player as skilled as Matigy to lose too many games with this Chiefs roster. Many of the loses will come within the division as KingMike and DKs scheme will keep them afloat while the Chargers have an equally impressive roster to match KCs firepower. Should really be a fun division to watch this cycle. -Arod
Chargers
Ceiling: 13-4 Deep playoff run+
The Chargers are an offensive juggernaut with Herbo, Ekeler, the WR room is a defenses nightmare, and they have a 6’8 TE. This year they will be coached by Codes who will take full advantage of the offense’s capabilities. On D they have 2 of the leagues best edge rushers with Mack and Bosa, and a solid backfield led by Derwin James. I think Codes will compete for a championship year 1 in a very competitive division -Bubba
Floor: 9-8
In a very competitive division Codes may struggle against some very good teams. The offensive line may cause Herbert to not be as good as advertised. Even if Codes drops some extra games I think he can compete for a wildcard playoff spot, and could make some noise if he sneaks in. Any less than playoffs is a bust for this season. -Bubba
Broncos
Ceiling: 12 -5
Word on the street is DK has been in his meta bag early and is locked in ready to go for this cycle. This could mean trouble for the AFC West and the AFC as a whole. DK is one of the resourceful coaches in PML. He has no problem dipping his scheme into the gray areas in order to find success. The Broncos are not a talented team, but with a coach who has been known to push the sim envelope with no hesitation this team in Denver might come out swinging with success. -KingMike
Floor: 9 – 8
It would be hard to see someone as competitive as DK finish below .500. As stated above this team lacks talent and is in a tough division. Therefore losses are bound to happen off not having enough talent alone. The real question that will be answered is if DK can coach up the team while rebuilding, or does he play coy by tanking with the excuse of the lack of talent in Mile High. -KingMike
