AFC West Roundup: Week 7

Photo Credit: David Zalubowski, AP Photo

Goodness Gracious! Another week, come and gone. That means that we have even more action to recap in AFC West land! Let’s see how everyone’s doing in our beloved division.

Chiefs

Photo Credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images

The Chiefs got in on some divisional action this weekend, with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City got off to a torrid start on offense and never really slowed down. The big story of the day, however, was Kansas City’s defense, which neutralized the Chargers attack and gave the Chiefs offense the ability to run away with this one. That said, for as much success as KC had on the field, the Chiefs have had some obstacles off of it. Justyn Ross’ arrest and Nick Bolton’s injury are both large blows. Ross’ immediate future is unclear, and Bolton is slated to miss two months. But the fact remains that these are the Chief's we’re talking about. No team is better equipped to plug holes like these guys, because they’re simply better than everyone else. They have the best player in football throwing passes to the second-best player in football, and no one can seem to do anything about it. Until that changes, every injury or shortcoming feels more like a bump in the road than an obstacle. With no team in the conference that looks capable of challenging them, and certainly no team in the division to worry about, Chiefs fans should sleep tight.

Chargers

Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

On the other side of things; This is about as bad as it gets for the Chargers. Losing to the Chiefs isn’t new for LA, or for anyone, really. But given how much chatter there is about Brandon Staley’s job security, Justin Herbert’s recent slump, and the fact that they are 2-4 and only a half game ahead of the cellar-dwelling Denver Broncos, the vibes around the Chargers are pretty darn rancid right now. It’s a long season, and the Chargers aren’t quite dead in the water, but this was another game that reminds you that when Justin Herbert isn’t doing Superman stuff out there, LA is pretty much hopeless. If you want my two cents, I think this team is currently coached by a man who has no business having this job, and because of it, this team is wasting elite talents across the roster. I think Brandon Staley is still a really smart football mind, and he will land as a defensive assistant somewhere and work his way back up; but this is such a terribly obvious fit, and anyone could see this season coming from a mile away. I’m not sure what about a historic playoff collapse says “Yep, that’s the right guy to lead this team,” but I’m not an NFL owner. 

Broncos

Photo Credit: RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

Holy Moses. I’m writing POSITIVE notes in the Broncos section? It’s hard to believe I’m writing this given how the Broncos season has gone, but the game on Sunday was-dare I say it- fun! The offense had things going, the defense played pretty good ball, and for the first time in Sean Payton’s tenure, the team played a complete, cohesive game. Yes, this all comes with the caveat that it came against the spiraling Packers, but I think the important thing here is that this team looked schematically and fundamentally sound, which has been their largest and most concerning problem thus far. The Broncos have an opportunity to prove their improved play wasn’t a fluke this weekend, when they get to face the Chiefs at home. Sadly, there’s a very good chance that game is the last in orange and blue for a few Denver stalwarts, as the trade deadline is two days after the contest and Denver has already been active shopping veterans. Many familiar faces may be on their way out of the mile high, but maybe, just maybe, the Broncos can send those guys out on a high note on Sunday.

Raiders

Photo Credit: Quinn Harris, Getty Images

If you’re looking for a team that had a worse weekend than the Chargers, here you go! This Raiders team is the equivalent of a roller coaster, except this roller coaster ends by driving you off a cliff and it is guaranteed to make you throw up. There are stretches where this team plays inspired, semi-cohesive football and makes you wonder if there’s a foundation here worth building upon; And then they proceed to throw a shoe and get rocked by the Bears. And to add insult to injury, these bears were starting a UDFA quarterback from a D-II school in his first game action. Giving up 30 points to that team is grounds for relegation. These Raiders employ some good young players. They even employ a few all-pro talents. But they have only shown the ability to play good football against teams in free-fall, and that makes it hard to say that they’re going in the right direction. They are nowhere close to making noise in the AFC, and as everyone who wears silver and black knows, Josh McDaniels just isn’t made for this. The sooner Vegas can pull the plug and start over- again- the better.