AFC West Predictions: Why the Denver Broncos Will Finish First

The AFC West has had a lot of big moves over the offseason.

The Raiders ended up releasing JaMarcus Russel, the Broncos released Brandon Marshall, but picked up Jamaal Williams, Justin Banaan, J.J Arrington and Jarvis Green. The Chiefs picked up Thomas Jones and the Chargers released Antonio Cromartie, Ladainian Tomlinson and Jamaal Williams.

All these moves have greatly impacted the teams finishes. So how do these teams finish now? Stay tuned to find out!

No. 4: Oakland Raiders

The release of JaMarcus Russell helped the Raiders a little bit. The releasing of their entire defensive line besides Richard Seymour, did not.

Greg Ellis, Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren are all somewhat impressive defensive lineman, and when you take them away from a team that has been rebuilding since 2003 when Rich Gannon retired, you just make the team much worse.

The Raiders have a chace to grab some stars in the offseason, but they simply refuse to for reasons I just don't know. Fans of the Silver and Black (Of which I am not one of) are just going to have to wait at least five more years for their Raiders to be competitive again.

Predicted Record:
4-12

No. 3: Kansas City Chiefs

The Cheifs are a case of what I like to call "too little too late". Although much of their season was a disaster, they really rebounded at the end of the season, with Jamaal Charles breaking the single game franchise rushing record.

The defense looked pretty rock solid as well. Now we add star HB Thomas Jones to the mix. The Chiefs are on the verge of becoming the new Dolphins, and this might, just might, be the year where they reach out and grab a winning record.

Call me a traitor fellow Bronco fans, but I like the Chiefs, and I think they have a chance of being real competitors this season.

Predicted Record:
9-7

No. 2: San Diego Chargers

The Bolts just shot themselves in the foot in the 2010 offseason. Antonio Cromartie, Jamaal Williams and Ladanian Tomlinson are all on other teams. It doesn't help that Jamaal Williams is playing for the conference rival Denver Broncos this year.

Of course, as much as I HATE the Chargers, they're not going to be completely terrible. After all, they still have Shawne Merriman and Phillip Rivers, so they will be just fine this year. Still, with all those big name losses, I can't have them No. 1 in their division.

Predicted Record:
9-7 (Clinch Wild Card Berth)

Number 1: Denver Broncos

Even after the loss of Brandon Marshall, this is a team that has the power to win the division. With their main opponent, the Chargers, having lost all those players, it should be easy.

Their defense is like that of the '01 Ravens, and when you add NT Jamaal Williams and DE Jarvis Green, you really have yourself a good team.

Justin Banaan, will have a HUGE impact on the Denver deffensive line squad. I think that Marshall has cleaned up his act, but you can never be to sure with a guy like that, which can detract from McDaniels' "team over self" philosophy. As long as they focus on that philosophy, they will be division winners.

Predicted Record:
10-6 (Clinch Playoff Berth)