Madden NFL 16 Player Ratings: AFC West Division Revealed

EA Sports released its Madden 16 team ratings for the AFC West on Thursday, and as has been the trend in recent years, the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are all looking up at the mighty Denver Broncos.

Here are the ratings:     

Team	Rating	Key Players
Denver Broncos	89	LOLB Von Miller (97), CB Chris Harris Jr. (94), WR Demaryius Thomas (93), QB Peyton Manning (92), CB Aqib Talib (90), WR Emmanuel Sanders (89), RB C.J. Anderson (85)
Kansas City Chiefs	82	LOLB Justin Houston (97), HB Jamaal Charles (94), TE Travis Kelce (91), CB Sean Smith (91), Tamba Hali (90), Jeremy Maclin (88)
San Diego Chargers	82	FS Eric Weddle (96), QB Philip Rivers (90), CB Brandon Flowers (89), Antonio Gates (88), WR Keenan Allen (86), RB Melvin Gordon (78)
Oakland Raiders	74	LOLB Khalil Mack (91), WR Amari Cooper (82), WR Michael Crabtree (82), Derek Carr (79), HB Latavius Murray (78), ROLB Sio Moore (80)

Denver is stacked, so the team's high ranking in Madden is hardly a surprise. Peyton Manning has a slew of weapons to work with, including Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and C.J. Anderson, though the loss of Julius Thomas via free agency will be felt. 

What is apparent with Denver both in real life and in Madden, however, is that the defense may be the strong unit this year. The team is stacked with pass-rushers in Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware (83 overall) and rookie Shane Ray (72 overall), while Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib give it one of the best corner duos in the league. 

Speaking of defenses, the Kansas City Chiefs have a very good one led by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. They'll be fun to use on offense, however, with Jamaal Charles, Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce giving them the most dynamic offensive personnel the team has had in years. 

The San Diego Chargers have a lot of weapons on offense, though they don't have many elite options for Philip Rivers. Antonio Gates will start the season suspended, but Madden players don't have to sweat that, as Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd (83) and Stevie Johnson (83 overall) give Rivers plenty of options in the passing game.     

The key to the season will be rookie running back Melvin Gordon, who certainly appears to be an explosive talent and looks like a great fit for this offense. Connected Franchise Mode (CFM) players will love seeing Gordon develop into an elite running back a few seasons into the game.

Fans of the Raiders will enjoy watching the young team develop over the years in CFM. The team is loaded with intriguing young talents such as Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Latavius Murray. 

Using the Raiders may be a challenge this year, but patient owners in Madden 16 could turn them into a dynasty a few seasons down the line.