Is Peyton Manning Enough to Win the AFC West Title Again?

Last year, the Denver Broncos won the AFC West title with Tim Tebow at quarterback. After starting 1-4 with Kyle Orton behind center, Tebow came in and led the Broncos to an 8-8 record and the playoff berth. He then surprised the NFL with an upset overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When four-time MVP Peyton Manning became a free agent, executive vice president John Elway decided to make Tebow expendable and go after the future Hall of Fame quarterback. 

Manning decided to come to Denver over the other teams who wanted him largely because of Elway. Manning, who is coming off his fourth neck surgery, will play his first game in over a year for the Broncos.

But this won’t be a walk in the park for Manning and Broncos. The Kansas Chiefs are the most talented team, as long as they are healthy. The San Diego Chargers are always contenders, and the Oakland Raiders are right in the conversation. So is Manning enough for the Broncos to recapture the AFC West and another playoff opportunity? 

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had a busy offseason, especially in the management. They hired Reggie McKenzie as their new general manager and Dennis Allen as their new head coach. Allen replaces Hugh Jackson, who was fired after an 8-8 record in his lone season at the helm.

They didn't have any impact free-agent signings, but the key to the Raiders will fall on No. 20 Darren McFadden. 

McFadden has had a hard time staying healthy. He is a top-10 player if he's on the field, but that's been the problem. Run DMC only had 116 carries for 614 yards in 2011.

If he can stay healthy, the Raiders have a legitimate shot at winning the division. They bring a young receiving core with Darrius Heyward-Bey finally coming into his own and Denarius Moore being a talented No. 2 option.

Getting the young receivers and DMC the ball will be Carson Palmer. Palmer will have his first full season under his belt with the Raiders, so the production should improve. He needs to work on the turnovers, though. He threw seven interceptions in his five games he played for the Raiders. 

Outside of the offense, the Raiders will look to bring back a top-15 defense. They slipped last year after losing Nnamdi Asomugha to Philadelphia Eagles. But the talent is there, and Allen is a defensive-minded coach.

Richard Seymour is still playing at a top level, but they need to get the linebackers to start at a high level. The question looms whether Rolando McClain will be suspended for an assault charge.

Oakland may have to rely on the best special teams in the NFL with Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler. If the offense can't move the ball, they will have to rely on Lechler to pin opponents deep and for Janikowski to save some drives with long field goals.    

San Diego Chargers

For the past few seasons, the San Diego Chargers have been the favorites to win the AFC West. They have been favorites for good reasons too. Since Philip Rivers took over as the starting quarterback, the Chargers have won the West four out of six years.

But the interesting part is that the Chargers have only made it to one AFC Championship game in the span. Rivers is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, but the talent around him is depleting.

Ryan Mathews will have to continue to show improvement. He's coming off a great second year with 1,091 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He'll need to continue to work on his ball security, with nine fumbles in his two-year service. Mathews will be the focal point of the offense with the receiving core in questions.

Antonio Gates will need to have another great year under his future Hall of Fame belt. Robert Meachem and Eddie Royal will lead the core in hope to help Rivers make some plays. 

The defense of the Chargers needs to find a pass rush. They struggled to have any last year. Drafting Melvin Ingram should give them a boost in that department, and the Chargers are still hopeful Corey Liuget can become what they hoped when they drafted him in 2011.

The key to the whole season will be on whether Rivers can make plays constantly and not make mistakes late in games. Also, the Chargers will have to find a way to play consistent ball and avoid the slow starts or slow finishes.

Kansas City Chiefs

An injury-plagued season left the Chiefs in shambles during 2011. Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Eric Berry spent time on the injury list. With Charles, Moeaki and Berry missing most of the season. The Chiefs are the most talented team in the AFC West if they are healthy.

Cassel is a huge question mark at quarterback. He has yet to live up to the big contract he received in 2009. But one thing that can always help a quarterback who struggles is a good running game. The Chiefs have one. 

Charles should be close to returning to form after suffering a knee injury. The addition of Peyton Hillis will be huge for the Chiefs. If Hillis can recapture what he did in 2010, the Chiefs will be in great shape.

Dwayne Bowe is a top-15 wideout playing alongside talented second-year Jon Baldwin, and they could be an explosive pair. If Moeaki can stay healthy, the Chiefs bring a very talented group of position players.

The Chiefs' defense should be again in the top 15. The loss of Brandon Carr will be felt, but free agent Stanford Routt should fill the void. If Dontari Poe can provide the pass rush like he did at Memphis, paired with Tamba Hali, the pass rush could be one of the best.   

Denver Broncos

Tebowmania is no longer in Denver. Instead Peyton Manning will be the man behind center. Out of the four teams in the AFC West, the Broncos will have the most change. Under Tebow, Denver had the league's best rushing attack (164.5/game). Chances are, that number will drop drastically with the efficient Manning at the helm.

Manning has young receivers to work with in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. Both should have breakout years with Manning throwing them passes. Manning will have familiar faces to throw to in Brandon Stokley and Joel Dreessen.

McGahee will hope to have another great year after rushing for nearly 1,200 yards last season. The third-down back will be key for Manning: Will it be Knowshon Moreno, who is recovery from an ACL injury, or rookie Ronnie Hillman?

If history is accurate, Manning should have the Denver offense playing at a high level.

But do they have enough on defense? The additions of Tracy Porter, Drayton Florence and Mike Adams should help the secondary that has been suspect the last few years. The loss of D.J. Williams for a possible six-game suspension will be felt.

With Manning at quarterback, the defense could be in pass rush mode for most of the game. That will only benefit last year's Rookie of the Year, Von Miller, and his counterpart Elvis Dumervil.  

So Will Manning Be Enough?

To say that Manning alone will lead the Broncos to the playoffs is misleading. Yes, he's a four-time NFL MVP, but he's coming off of his fourth neck surgery. He hasn't played a game in over a year either.

Even with Manning, the Broncos have one of the toughest schedules in football. Home games against Pittsburgh, Houston and New Orleans and away games with New England, Atlanta and Baltimore will be a daunting task for any team.

The big thing with Denver will be if they don't win the AFC West. Tebow won the West and even won a playoff game. So if the Broncos don't win, John Elway's decision to let Tebow leave will be questioned.

Manning and the Broncos might not even be the best team in their division. The Chiefs and Chargers will be better than they were last year. 

So is Manning enough to win the AFC West? For Elway and the Broncos' sake, they better hope so. Otherwise, the fans and media will have a field day.