One Thing Every AFC West Team Can Do to Win the Division
Photo Credit: Justin Tafoya, Getty Images
The AFC West, the division that could very easily land all four of their teams in the playoff if not for the conference they reside in. Four very good football teams that all eye a division crown and a chance to break out into the Super Bowl contention. Let’s look through them, shall we?
Las Vegas Raiders: Jimmy Garoppolo takes his game to another level.
Many gashed the Raiders’ signing of Garoppolo in the offseason, saying they let go of a high floor, low ceiling quarterback just to replace him with another high floor, low ceiling quarterback. For the Raiders to have any amount of success this year, Garoppolo needs to continue being that kind of quarterback, but to push for a division title, he needs to step his game up, big time. Garoppolo finds himself in a situation with old Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels as his head coach, and the familiarity Garoppolo has with the schemes is the key to unlocking his potential, and maybe turning him into what we saw from late-stage Tom Brady.
Los Angeles Chargers: Kellen Moore is the man.
Turning our attention from players to coaches here, the Cowboys hired Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator after he was fired by the Cowboys. Moore has a very simple job to do; keep Justin Herbert’s production up and turn this offense from its current, very good state, to a lethal system that defensive coordinators have nightmares about. He did it in Dallas with Dak and those weapons, what’s stopping him from doing it here? Justin Herbert as a star franchise quarterback with Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as wide receiving threats, Austin Ekeler boosting up the backfield and the return of star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, the Chargers are ready to put up 35 points a game, it’s a matter of if Moore’s scheming can help them deliver on that.
Denver Broncos: Russell Wilson bounces back.
This Broncos team has all of the pieces ready to be a contender: a stout defense with multiple pieces to reinforce every level, a good set of receiving weapons, a strong offensive line to assist in the rushing attack, it all falls on Russell Wilson to deliver on that mega-contract and huge trade he got last offseason. Wilson now also has a head coach in place that has proven success behind him, a Super Bowl championship and a body of work. All of the pressure is now on him to succeed, and if he does, the sky’s the limit for this team.
Kansas City Chiefs: Don’t change anything.
Whatever black magic Kansas City is working to keep having a fantastic offense and a passable defense is working. The earliest they’ve been eliminated from the postseason since Patrick Mahomes became the starter is the AFC Championship game. They’ve lost a lot of talent and weapons along the way, and they still continue to lead their division and their conference in everything. It’s infuriating to watch how impressive this team is, and just how good they are. This is the NFL’s next dynasty, and barring anything unforeseen, they will be on top of not just their division, not just their conference, but the entire league for years to come.
Who am I kidding, the Chiefs win this division by a long shot, but there is still a way that if the Chiefs take a step back, any other team could step up and shock the world. It’ll be a tight race to see who gets second in this division, and is able to lock down a wild card spot.
