AFC West Preview

Football season has officially started and now that all four of the AFC West teams have played and the starters got to shake off a little rust I think it's time for a AFC West prediction.

Denver Broncos

Last year the Broncos had their share of problems, whether it was stopping the run, Dre Bly not playing up to expectations, Cutler's problem with diabetes,  injuries, Travis Henry not earning his new contract, or the incompetent defensive coordinator, the Broncos had issues. And it showed in the win-loss column with a 7-9 record for the year. The Broncos were lucky not be 3-13: four of their wins came off last-second or overtime field goals by the now ex-Bronco kicker Jason Elam.

Only problem is that they haven't done much to shore up these problems and Brandon Marshall's suspension all but guarantees losses in the games he will miss. Marshall seemed to be th lone bright spot during last year's debacle, displaying sure hands, and was absolutely lethal after the catch. Jay Cutler will sure miss his talents against Oakland's aggressive new secondary anf the always-physical Chargers' defense in the first two weeks.

The offense with or without Marshall will probably sputter, as they did last year, in the red zone. I saw nothing to convince me otherwise in the preseason game. Granted it was preseason but usually the starters' play carries over. That said, Cutler looked really good. He keeps that type of play up and improves over last year, along with keeping his diabetes in check I think he may be able to pull out a couple of wins on his own.

The run game looks surprisingly promising. I still think there's questions on the O-line with a new rookie LT and old vet Tom Nalen still recovering from and injury last year, but I don't think run blocking will be much of a problem. Andre hall looked good enough to get his yards and move the chains, allowing Cutler to do his thing. Selvin Young didn't look as good.

The defense has questions all over the place and especially on the D-line. The first team got no pressure on the QB but the run defense looked improved, granted it was the Texans' backups. The linebackers took two more blows as newly acquired LB Boss Bailey suffered an ankle sprain and Louis Green left the field on a stretcher after a collision with a teammate.

I think they are still a couple of good run-stuffers and perhaps another offensive play maker away from serious contention. Also I need to see the Oline perform like in years past to be convinced the offense will put up points consistently.

I could easily see this team starting 2-6 and finishing 6-2 to go 8-8 with their schedule.

Kansas City Chiefs

So begins the youth-movement/rebuilding project. Kansas City seemed to have a new draft pick for every veteran they cut. There's a lot of youth and new talent in Arrowhead now which the Chiefs are hoping get them some wins.

But don't let the youth fool you; this is still a bad team with questions marks making up the majority of their roster. The offensive line is has holes in it and with a new rookie LT and still recovering from the loss of Will Shields and Willie Roaf you can expect the offense to stall more often than not. Add into that the new starting QB Brodie Croyle and the Chiefs will have serious trouble scoring.

They do have stars on offense in Dwayne Bowe, Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Johnson as the workhorse back. The backfield has good depth with Kolby Smith and rookie Jamal Charles. If the line gives Brodie Croyle enough time to get the ball to his receivers then the offense may be able to put up enough points to squeeze out some wins against the weaker teams on the schedule. But to do this the defense can't give up late leads as they did last year.

The defense got younger and a little less talented across the board during the offseason. The run defense may improve if Glenn Dorsey can play up to his potential but he can't do it alone. Donnie Edwards, one of the few old vets that remained on the team, will do his part and rack up his usual 130+ tackle year but after him the depth is questionable.

The lone preseason game didn't do much to convince me otherwise either, giving up 175 yards rushing. They were playing without Dorsey, however, who was out with an injury.

The secondary is shaky at best, featuring Patrick Surtain and rookie Brandon Flowers at CB and holdovers Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard at safety.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?