The Denver Broncos have won the AFC West four years in a row. A major reason for the power shift has been Peyton Manning. During his three seasons in the Mile High City, Manning has thrown 131 touchdowns to only 36 interceptions. He also led the Broncos to the Super Bowl last year, where they were outclassed by the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite the recent domination of the AFC West, the Broncos reign could be coming to a screeching halt. The San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are a piece or two away from surpassing Denver. If Denver wants to win the west for their fifth consecutive season, they’ll have to make sure their core pieces remain intact.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest decisions awaiting in the AFC West.

It’s all about the Thomases? – In a perfect world, John Elway would love to keep both Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas. But just how realistic is that?

Well, after hiring a head coach (Gary Kubiak), retaining the Thomases was the next biggest priority for Elway. Julius appears to be all for it.

“I didn’t hear about that until now from you. But I think it’s good that’s something they want to do. Obviously, those conversations and negotiations will take place in the next coming weeks. Hopefully it all works out.”

The 6-foot-5 tight end was a fourth round pick out of Portland State. This past season he earned $645,000 in base salary, which was the final year of his rookie contract.

Although he’s been battling ankle injuries for the past two years, there’s no denying his production when he’s on the gridiron. Julius has caught 108 passes for 1,277 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns the last two seasons.

Even though Julius wants to remain in Denver, he’s not making any promises when being asked about his future in the blue and orange.

“I guess we’ll all know shortly.”

Demaryius on the other hand is the more valuable piece. Denver can franchise tag one of the Thomases. In order to keep both, Denver’s best bet is to franchise Julius and give Demaryius the long-term deal he deserves. Demaryius led the team in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,619) and was second in receiving touchdowns with 11.

One more year? – In the grand scheme of things, Peyton Manning had a good season. The 5-time MVP threw for over 4700 yards to go along with 39 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Manning has spoiled us with such greatness that anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is considered a failure but it was more to it this time around.

As the season went on, Peyton’s arm appeared to get weaker. His noodle arm was put on front street in Denver’s playoff loss to Andrew Luck and company. In that defeat, Manning only completed 56% of his passes.

With all that being said, the $19 million question is will Peyton return for a 18th season?

His father wants him to take his time. 

“He’s given a lot of thought to it,” Archie said.  “My advice for him is to go through the process, get away a little bit, let your leg heal, give it a lot of thought and decide what you’re going to do … (I) think he’s taken a good evaluation of where he is physically.”

If Peyton were to retire, it would obviously leave a big hole for Denver to try to fill, but it could also affect free-agent decisions, like Demaryius Thomas for example, who has the upmost respect for the future hall of famer.

“Peyton is one of the best in the game, and I’ve been blessed to have him as my quarterback. I learned so much from him,” Thomas said.

Expect an official decision to be made within the coming weeks.

Help the crying River – It seems like every off-season we’re talking about how the San Diego Chargers need to upgrade their offensive line, mainly the pass protection. Phillip Rivers, 33, was sacked 36 times this past season, which tied for 10th in the league and is the third highest sack total of his lengthy career.

You know it’s bad when Rivers rushed for 102 yards on the season, which is a career-high. The lack of time in the pocket played a major role in Rivers’ 18 interceptions. Despite all of that, San Diego was just one win away from reaching the postseason.

Rivers hasn’t missed one start since being named the starting quarterback way back in 2006. If San Diego wants Rivers’ streak to continue, they need to figure out a way to keep him upright.

Left tackle Kevin Dunlap is a free agent and while re-signing him wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, the Chargers should aim higher. Titans left tackle Michael Roos is on the open market, who is arguably the best offensive linemen available. He was limited to only five games this past season due to knee surgery, but the three-time All-Pro would provide instant protection to Rivers’ blind side. In 2013, he only committed three penalties and allowed three sacks.

There aren’t many contenders with cap space in need of a left tackle, so maybe San Diego is the place for Roos.

KC needs to ‘receive’ help – The Kansas City Chiefs did something this past season that’s unheard of. They went an entire season without throwing one touchdown to a wide receiver.

General manager John Dorsey is aware of the glaring weakness.

“I think that the stats speak for themselves. We’re going to have to do some work there.”

Kansas City was close to landing Emmanuel Sanders, but he ultimately decided to join arch rival Denver, leaving the Chiefs helpless.

“At the time, we thought we had some players that could help us,” Dorsey said. “But then as you go into the free agency process, you missed on a couple of guys. And then as the draft unfolded there were certain guys that you had pegged in certain situations that they may have peeled off a step or two before you so then you still have got to go with the best player, and we kind of stayed true to that.”

The wide receiver market includes some big names like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Randall Cobb, but those guys aren’t expected to leave their respective teams. More realistic options for Kansas City are guys like Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith and Michael Crabtree.

Maclin would be a great fit for multiple reasons. Obviously his skill set on the field is one to marble at. He provides quickness, agility and a great set of hands. With no DeSean Jackson in town, Maclin showed he could be a number one option. He caught 85 catches for 1,318 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns.

Building around Carr – The Oakland Raiders haven’t had a stable starting quarterback since Rich Gannon in the early 2000s; However, it appears the franchise has finally found their guy.

Derek Carr surprised everyone during his rookie campaign. The second-round pick out of Fresno State threw for 3, 270 yards to go along with 21 touchdowns and only 12 picks.

In order for him to be successful moving forward, general manager Reggie McKenzie will have to surround Carr with better talent. The Raiders ranked near the bottom in every offensive statistic, averaging 15.8 points (31st), 282.2 total yards (last), 204.7 passing yards (26th) and a dismal 77.5 rushing yards per game (last).

New head coach Jack Del Rio understands the importance of giving Carr some weapons.

“As an organization, we have a lot to do, but we understand where we’re going and how we’re going to get there,” Del Rio said. “Part of that is making sure a good, young talent like Derek is not asked to do too much, that he has a great support system around him.”

As mentioned before, the big name receivers are unlikely to hit the open market, but Oakland has a chance to draft Amari Cooper with the fourth overall pick. Oakland will have plenty of money to spend on other positions.

Just maybe Oakland native Marshawn Lynch would consider wearing the silver and black.