AFC West Week 14 Recap
As Week 14 ends, this week saw a lot of ugly games for the AFC West teams. Two teams’ seasons come to a close, as the other two have just begun as they look to fight for first place in the West.
Minnesota Vikings 3, Las Vegas Raiders 0
The Vikings and the Raiders saw the Chargers/Patriots game last week and decided to one-up them. In what was an abysmal offensive performance, the Vikings kicker Kelvin Joseph scored the only points of the game with a go-ahead field goal at the two-minute mark. Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell would go on to throw an interception on the last drive, and the Vikings would run away with it. This game was filled with a slew of injuries for both teams, with the Vikings losing some of their skill position players, including newly returned Justin Jefferson, and the Raiders losing multiple starters on the offensive line as well as their running back, Josh Jacobs.
The o-line injuries for the Raiders were very costly, as the Vikings’ strong pass rush took advantage with five sacks, never allowing the Raiders offense to get off the ground. The Raiders could not run the ball to get offense going either, with only 56 yards, and Jacobs’ injury certainly did not help. Add to this three turnovers, including a fumble by Hunter Renfrow in the red zone that would have certainly led to points, and the offenses’ afternoon keeps getting worse.
While the Raiders only managed 202 total yards of offense, the Vikings offense only managed 231. The pass game was atrocious for the Vikings, leading to the benching of Josh Dobbs. A strong run performance of 132 yards despite losing their starting tailback Alexander Mattison and a late resurgence from third string QB Nick Mullens led the Vikings offense to a victory. Despite the Raiders outstanding defensive performance that tallied four sacks, they could not account for Mullens who threw for 83 yards in the fourth quarter and led the game winning drive. All in all, this is on ethe Raiders will want to forget as they look ahead to next season.
The Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) will face the 5-8 Los Angeles Chargers for control of third place in the AFC West this Thursday night at 8:15 ET.
Denver Broncos 24, Los Angeles Chargers 7
The Broncos got back on track this week as they found their identity again versus the Chargers. The game for the Broncos featured a strong run game with 106 yards and a reliable Russell Wilson who threw efficiently with two touchdowns and only one interception. This low turnover and highly efficient performance was reminiscent of the win streak the Broncos celebrated just a few weeks ago, and it got them back on track today. While the offense certainly still has ways to improve, looking sluggish at times versus the struggling Chargers defense with only 320 total yards, it has gotten the job done.
The Broncos’ success on Sunday was largely due in part to what it has been all season: the defense. The defense recorded six sacks, two turnovers, and impressively held the Chargers to 0-13 on third downs and 0-3 on fourth downs. Meanwhile, the Chargers could find no answers, as once again a few key drops, no run game, and bad decisions from their head coach led to a poor offensive performance. The Broncos defense dominated all game long, continuing the probability of their chances to make the playoffs.
If things could not get worse for the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert left in the second quarter with an apparent finger injury and did not return. The results showed a fracture that will probably keep him out for the season, leaving the offense to backup QB Easton Stick. Under Stick, the offense only gained 283 total yards and only put up seven points, coming on a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the long season for the Chargers will only feel longer for the few games they have left. Meanwhile, the hot seat for Brandon Staley is only heating up.
The Los Angeles Chargers (5-8) will face a short week as they play the 5-8 Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night at 8:15 ET.
Buffalo Bills 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17
The Chiefs are caught up in another game about officiating, something that has happened multiple times this season and now in back-to-back weeks. What was a well-played game between two elite quarterbacks led to Mahomes driving with 1:23 left on the clock down by three. A deep pass to Kelce that he then lateraled back to wide receiver Kadarius Toney for a touchdown was then called back because of an offsides penalty on Toney. Mahomes would go on to lose his mind on the refs and vent the season’s frustration on the sideline and the Bills would go on to win the game.
Mahomes himself did not have a bad game, throwing for 271 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Kelce and Rashee Rice also had impressive games, Kelce putting up 83 receiving yards and Rice putting up 72 receiving yards and one touchdown, but no other Chiefs player impacted the game. It was once again a game where the offense struggled to be successful. Instead, they struggled to run the ball and shot themselves in the foot with penalties, including the offsides penally to end the game, which was, in fact, a penalty.
As for the Chiefs defense, they gave up a stat line to Josh Allen that was similar to Mahomes’ stats. He gained 265 yards total, including his rush yards, with one pass touchdown, one rush touchdown, and one interception. While the defense recorded three sacks and two turnovers, doing well overall, it did struggle to stop Allen and the Bills offense from running the ball. Ultimately, once again, while the defense did enough to win the game, the struggling offense and the multiple mistakes kept the Chiefs out of the win column, and this time they chose the wrong people to blame.
The Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) will look to rebound and stay atop the AFC West as they move on to face the 3-10 New England Patriots this Sunday at 1:00 ET.
AFC West Standings
1. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
2. Denver Broncos (7-6)
3. Los Angeles Chargers (5-8)
4. Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
