NFL Power Rankings, AFC West Edition: San Diego Chargers on the Way Up

It was a pretty predictable Sunday in the AFC West in Week 4 for everyone but the Broncos.

Denver went on the road to record a big victory against the Tennessee Titans in a hard fought game that went down to the wire.

The San Diego Chargers dominated the Arizona Cardinals at home and the Oakland Raiders dropped yet another game, this time to the Houston Texans.

Kansas City had the division's lone bye on the week, but did they stay at No. 1?

4. Oakland Raiders

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OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 3: Running back Arian Foster #23 of the Houston Texans scores a touchdown in front of linebacker Rolando McClain #55 of the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game October 3, 2010 at The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakla

This is still a bad football team. An improving one, but a bad one nonetheless.

The result was closer than I expected, but it also wasn't as close as it appeared as the Raiders tried to mount a late rally in their 31-24 home loss to the Texans.

Houston was without arguably the most dominant player in the NFL today in wide receiver Andre Johnson because of injury and starting running back Arian Foster was in Gary Kubiak's doghouse until the second quarter.

The Raiders were unable to capitalize on the absence of these two players as the Texans jumped out to quick 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Raiders were able to hang around and were tied 14-14 at the half.

Oakland's defense is supposed to be the strength of the team but they allowed 249 yards on the ground and they were unable to force a turnover while the Raiders offense turned it over three times.

Running back Darren McFadden came back to earth with only 47 yards on the day and an average of 3.9 yards per carry. The problem for Oakland is that 23 of those yards came on one run.

The Raiders are in for a long season since they are getting dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Oakland figures to be underdogs in every game remaining on their schedule. Not exactly what Raider Nation was hoping for.

3. Denver Broncos

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 03: Demaryius Thomas #88 of the Denver Broncos breaks away from Vincent Fuller #22 of the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. Denver won 26-20. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Denver got a big road win against the Titans thanks to its fourth quarter rally and huge special teams play.

The Broncos were clutch late in the game as Correll Buckhalter caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton to give Denver a 23-20 lead with under two minutes remaining.

Denver's kickoff coverage was burned earlier in the game on a 98-yard touchdown return by Titans Marc Mariani, but they would have the last laugh as kicker Matt Prater sent his kickoff into the wind and Mariani was unable to corral it, leading to a recovery by Denver.

The Broncos were certainly fortunate to win the game, but they still deserve credit for leaving the Music City with a victory.

Quarterback Kyle Orton had another big game with 341 yards and two touchdowns, but the Broncos offensive line continued to struggle.

Denver's rushing game continued to be non-existent; it's never good when Orton is your leading rusher.

Despite running for only 19 yards the Broncos were able to get a tough road victory, thanks in large part to its defense and ability to stop Titans RB Chris Johnson.

Johnson managed just 53 yards and 2.8 yards per carry on the day, and he was unable to reach the end zone.

It was a hard earned victory for the Broncos, but at some point they are going to have to run the football with some success if they want to make the playoffs this season.

2. San Diego Chargers

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SAN DIEGO - OCTOBER 03: Running back Ryan Mathews #24 of the San Diego Chargers scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Qualcomm Stadium on October 3, 2010 in San Diego, California. The Chargers defeated the Cardinals 41-

San Diego bounced back in a big way after its tough loss at Seattle by dominating the Cardinals, 41-10 at home.

To call Arizona a struggling football team would be an understatement, but good football teams impose their will on bad teams, and that is exactly what the Chargers did.

San Diego held the Cards to just 124 total yards on offense and they got to the quarterback nine times on the day, while linebacker Shaun Phillips recorded four sacks alone.

The Chargers offense also had their way with the Arizona defense with a balanced attack that featured 239 yards through the air and another 180 on the ground.

Antonio Gates looks like the best tight end in the league right now and he showed it again today with seven catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

San Diego needs more performances like they had against the Cards if they want to repeat as the division winner for the fifth straight season. If they can repeat this sort of play on the road as well, they should be in great shape.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

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KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 26: Matt Cassel #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs passes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium on September 26, 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs won 31-10. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Now we come to the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Say what you want about how the Chiefs won their first two games, but this team is for real.

The Chiefs were on their bye in Week 4, so they will stay at the top of the rankings for at least another week.

Next up for the Chiefs is Peyton Manning and the Colts. Unfortunately for Kansas City, Indy lost in Week 3 and Manning rarely loses two games in a row.

Kansas City should have a good shot at breaking that trend however, with its tough rushing attack and much improved play on defense this season.

The Chiefs have been the most consistent team in the league this season, and even a loss to the Colts would not be too detrimental to this team's psyche.

Kansas City should be 6-2 at worst once Week 9 rolls around and have to be considered the favorite to win the division at this early point in the season.