Try and think of the last time an AFC West team won a game.
Stumped?
That's probably because it was three Sundays ago.
The Oakland Raiders surprisingly defeated the New York Jets by three points on the strength of a Sebastian Janikowski field goal in overtime.
Since then, AFC West teams are 0-4, with a couple of byes mercifully thrown in for good measure.
As AFC-West-leading Denver is sitting at a lofty 4-4, the division is wide open. Even with the 1-7 Kansas City Chiefs having a decent mathematical possibility to make it to the playoffs.
With the stretch run—the so-called eight-game season—upon us, who has the best shot?
Here are the best arguments for all four teams involved.
1. Denver Broncos (4-4)
The Good News
—Denver's success has hinged mainly on what its offense can do. Assuming QB Jay Cutler's last two games were only hiccups in the development of a competent starter, Denver should put enough points on the board to compete in each game.
—Opposing teams' on the Broncos remaining schedule only carry a 30-34 record.
—The Broncos have two home games against division rivals Oakland and Kansas City.
—Every time you have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal catching passes, you have a chance to put some serious pressure on defenses.
The Bad News
—The Broncos go on the road to face the 6-2 Panthers and 5-3 Falcons.
—Denver only has three home games remaining.
—They're ranked 28th, 29th, 27th and 26th in points allowed, total yards allowed, pass yards allowed and rushing yards allowed, respectively.
Projected Finish with Predictions
8-8 (Wins: CLE, KC, OAK, BUF. Losses: ATL, NYJ, CAR, SD)
2. San Diego Chargers (3-5)
The Good News
—LaDainian Tomlinson showed flashes of his old self in the team's last game against New Orleans. With the bye week, a rested, healthier L.T. will mean a bigger running game.
—The Chargers have five home games remaining.
—Their change of defensive playcallers (Ron Rivera is the new coordinator) can only mean they get better on that side of the ball.
—The Bolts put up 28 points per game. That's good for third in the league.
The Bad News
—Games against Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay still remain. Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are on the road.
—New coordinator or not, the team's inside linebacking corps are lacking in quality. Stephen Cooper is solid in one spot, but Matt Wilhelm, Tim Dobbins, and Derek Smith have not gotten the job done in the other. Is a switch to a 4-3 on the horizon?
—How injured are guys like Antonio Gates, Jyles Tucker, and Antonio Cromartie?
Projected Finish with Predictions
9-7 (Wins: KC (2), IND, OAK, DEN. Losses: PIT, ATL)
4 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Brian Smith 8 months ago
I agree with your assesment Eric. I think it boils down to who plays worse? San Diego or Denver? I say Denver. Cutler is just not the elite QB that the media has been trying to make him out to be. He can't throw outside the pocket or if he has to move his feet and he is way too easily rattled.
Oakland, well, Al Davis has only one person to blame for his teams problems and that's Al Davis. They might, eek out one or two more wins at most.
Kansas City might be the spoiler, won't win the division though. I've never really been able to figure the Chiefs out to be honest. They have talent, but, what the heck? Their weakness at QB is killing them right now even though they had a decent game against Tampa this past weekend.
Good read!
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Eric Gomez 8 months ago
Like I mentioned, they had two good games in my mind but just found ways to lose. They're inconsistent in that their talent doesn't match their performance, but all through the season they've just found ways to lose. They're in the running for a high draft pick and that's scary because they're a young team who should contend down the road for big things.
I absolutely agree with you on Cutler. He's got a rocket arm but not much else.
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Angel Navedo 8 months ago
Nice breakdown Eric. At this point, it's really about who is the lesser of.. four evils. Even at 9-7, I'm not sure if that'll be good enough to guarantee a postseason for the Chargers.
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Eric Gomez 8 months ago
Denver's schedule is tough and most of it is away from home. San Diego depends on their defensive changes during the bye week.
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