The AFC West: The Mediocre Meal In The NFL Food Chain

As the calendar turned to September, and the NFL preseason came to a close, the San Diego Chargers were once again the favorites to win the AFC West in 2010. Actually, the story seems to be the same every year.

The Chargers will win the division. The Broncos will give the Chargers a run but will inevitably come up short, and the Raiders and Chiefs will sluggishly duke it out to try and salvage third place. However, as it stands after week 6, the Kansas City Chiefs are atop the division at 3-2, while the other three teams trail behind with equally, inadequate records of 2-4.

As week 7 approaches with November on the horizon, the AFC West winner is anybody's guess. The Chargers are known for having dismal starts but usually pick up the pace come middle October. The Broncos started out last year 6-0 but could only salvage two wins in their last ten games. This year Kyle Orton is playing lights out, but their running game has hurt them severely. The Raiders always  think each year brings new hope, but as long as Al Davis remains at the helm, Raider Nation will once again be disappointed. Then there's the Kansas City Chiefs, a team which nobody had to be the division leader during any part of the year. But yet here they are during the end of October leading the division. With Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel added to their coaching staff, the Chiefs are on the brink of proving everybody wrong.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos were picked by many to sputter out this season after they lost Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins, and Elvis Dumervil to a season ending pectoral muscle injury. Surprisingly, Kyle Orton is silencing all doubters by lighting up teams left and right, including a 476 yard- field day week 3 against the Colts. Although they are only 2-4, they are showing signs of improvement. With Knowshon Moreno coming back from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for three weeks, Denver is sure to bounce back and make light of what was supposed to be a dismal year.

Strength: Passing Attack- Denver's passing attack has been phenomenal thus far. Kyle Orton is quietly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. With receivers like Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney, as well as the re-emergence of Brandon Lloyd, the Broncos are making NFL secondaries look like JV sophomores.

Weakness: Running O and D- The Broncos rank last in the NFL in rushing offense and 25th in rushing defense. They can't run it and they can't stop whoever runs it against them.

Strength of Remaining Schedule: 6/10

Denver has 3 road games in a row to close out the month of December, but they finish with Houston and San Diego at home. As bad as the Texans secondary is and how sloppy the Chargers are playing, Denver will look to close out the final two games of the season to help salvage a 500. finish. 

Predicted Finish: 8-8

Kansas City Chiefs: Nobody saw the Kansas City Chiefs being in first place after week 1, let alone week 6. However, with the additions of Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, and Matt Cassel as quarterback, there seems to be a Patriot-esque feeling in the Kansas City atmosphere. Jamaal Charles and newly acquired Thomas Jones are helping the Chiefs lead the league in rushing, and tight end Tony Moeaki  has become a silent assassin in the Chiefs arsenal. With young players like Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster, and Javier Arenas, the Chiefs have become a fun team to watch, and hope to break out of the slump they've been under the last couple of seasons.

Strength: Running the Ball- Kansas City leads the league in rushing, averaging over 160 yards per game. Jamaal Charles is averaging over six yards per carry and Thomas Jones's veteran experience has seemed to be rubbing off on Charles.

               Run Defense- The Chiefs are fifth in the league against the run, with Mike Vrabel leading the way. They're only giving up a tad over 18 points per game, the best in the AFC West.

Weakness: Pass Defense- Despite their successful run defense, their passing D ranks 27th in the league at nearly 250 yards per game. Granted, they have faced quarterbacks named Manning, Rivers, and Schaub, the Chiefs must stop the pass if they want to make a serious playoff run. They've also yet to play against a guy named Kyle Orton.

Strength of Remaining Schedule: 6/10

Kansas City has only played one divisional opponent thus far, so the majority of their remaining games will be critical. They also travel to Seattle who seems to be lights out at home, St. Louis who has surprised everybody thus far, and San Diego who can light up anybody's scoreboard as long as Philip Rivers is under center. However, their last two games are at home with Oakland coming into Arrowhead to close out the season. Oakland has fared well in Kansas City the last two years, but the Chiefs will look to play physical as a division title could very well be on the line.

Predicted Finish: 10-6

Oakland Raiders: What can be said about the Raiders that hasn't been said before? It seems as if the Raiders have the pieces, they just can't put them together. A huge weight was lifted after the Raiders finally parted ways with JaMarcus Russell, and Jason Campbell was brought in to help with quarterback issues the team has faced since Rich Gannon retired. With Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha anchoring the Raiders secondary, Darren McFadden slowly blossoming into the running back the Raiders hoped he would become, and Butkus- award winning, rookie linebacker Rolando McClain making his presence known, the future for the silver and black looks bright. However, Jason Campbell has been a bust thus far, and no coach is ever safely employed as long as he works for Al Davis.

Strength: Running the Ball- The Raiders are currently 10th in the NFL in rushing offense averaging 130 yards per game. Darren McFadden, along with Michael Bush offer a 1-2 knockout punch that has the ability to leave defenses stunned. Now, if only they could both be healthy at the same time.

              Zach Miller- Miller has quietly become one of the most effective tight ends in the league, and is a favorite target for whoever is under center for Oakland. Miller leads Oakland in catches (30), reception yards (388), and touchdowns (3).

Weakness: Quarterback-  Since the Rich Gannon days, the Raiders have yet to establish a reliable quarterback. Jason Campbell has already been benched this season, and Bruce Gradkowski is dealing with a shoulder injury. It's highly unlikely Kyle Boller will come in and lead this team to the promise land.

                  Rushing D- As good as their rushing attack is, their rushing defense is just putrid. The Raiders are 30th in the league against the rush giving up nearly 150 yards per game. Only the Buccaneers and Bills give up more yards on the ground.

Strength of Remaining Schedule: 8/10

Oakland will have a hard time making the postseason with this daunting, second half schedule. The Raiders travel to Pittsburgh week 11, and close out the year on the road with a much improved Kansas City team. In between those matchups they meet up with Indianapolis and Miami as well. Looks like it'll be another year without the Raiders seeing the postseason light.

Predicted Finish: 6-10

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers have been the best team in the AFC West for the greater part of this decade, and this year was not intended to be any different. However, the Chargers find themselves at 2-4, alongside  the Raiders and the Broncos. With offseason holdouts involving star wide receiver Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus Mcneill, the Chargers were dealing with off-field drama before the season had even begun. However, despite all of the inconveniences the Chargers have been faced with, they still have Philip Rivers. Rivers, along with Antonio Gates and rookie running back Ryan Mathews are hoping to lead the Charger offense into the postseason once again.

Strength: Offense- San Diego has the best offensive attack in the NFL.The Bolts lead the league in passing and the tandem of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert help the Chargers run the ball effectively as well. Philip Rivers is having an MVP season thus far, already throwing for over 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Even without Vincent Jackson on the field, Malcom Floyd has filled in nicely catching 24 balls for 513 yards and 3 touchdowns. And then there's Antonio Gates. Gates, arguably the best tight end in the league is still Philip Rivers's favorite target. Gates is averaging over 15 yards a catch and already has seven touchdowns.

               Defense- The Chargers have a stellar defense to go along with their jaw-dropping offense.They're 1st against the pass giving up less than 165 yards per game. Even without Antonio Cromartie in their secondary, the Chargers are still stymieing opposing quarterbacks.They're 6th against the rush giving up less than 100 yards a game without the presence of Shawne Merriman as well.

Weakness: Special Teams- There are 3 parts to a football team: Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. If San Diego leads the league in offense and defense, then the reason must be pretty simple as to why they're only 2-4, right? Too many times the Bolts have faltered in the special teams department. (Giving up punts for touchdowns whether they were returned or just blocked). Twice in week 5, San Diego had two punts blocked against the Raiders in the 1st quarter!

                  Falling behind too much, too early: San Diego has a bad habit of letting their opponents grab the lead too early in the game. Against Oakland in week 5, the Chargers fell behind 12-0 early. Against St. Louis the next week, San Diego trailed 17-0 and was forced to play catch up the entire game. As good as their offense is, it's always hard to win a game when you're constantly playing from behind.

Strength of Remaining Schedule: 9/10

It is not going to get any easier for San Diego this year. They have New England, Tennessee, and Houston to close out their schedule until their bye week in week 10. After their bye they have to travel to Indianapolis, and then Cincinnati and Denver to close out their final two games on the road.  It's pretty much going to be a Herculean task to win the division for a team who couldn't even beat the Rams or the Raiders.

Predicted Finish: 8-8