Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers in Competitive, Not Very Good, AFC West Race

The Kansas City Chiefs turned the ball over four times on Monday night. They have lost games this season by 35 points at home and 45 points on the road.

Ladies and gentlemen, your AFC West co-leaders!

The San Diego Chargers turned the ball over four times on Monday night. They were flagged for 12 penalties for 105 yards and for the second straight week, their "elite" quarterback, Philip Rivers, botched a late-game situation with the game on the line.

Ladies and gentlemen, your AFC West co-leaders!

The Oakland Raiders didn't play this week, ostensibly using the extra time during the bye to fix the problems that were exposed when they were shut out at home by Kansas City, a team that—did I mention this?—has lost by 35 points at home and 45 points on the road. In their last game, two Raider quarterbacks combined to throw six interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Earlier this year, the Raiders couldn't hold an 18-point halftime lead at Buffalo.

Ladies and gentlemen, your AFC West co-leaders!

Every team in the AFC West has had its bye week now and each team has seven games in the books. The Chargers are 4-3 with wins over Minnesota (2-6), Miami (0-7), Denver (2-5) and a split with the Chiefs (4-3).

The Raiders are 4-3 with wins over Denver (2-5), the New York Jets (4-3), Houston (5-3) and Cleveland (3-4).

The Chiefs are 4-3 with wins over Minnesota (2-6), Indianapolis (0-8), Oakland (4-3) and a split with the Chargers (4-3).

The Broncos, at 2-5, aren't out of the division race, but with two losses within the division already and coming off a humiliating 45-10 loss at home to Detroit, Denver doesn't exactly look to have the stuff of contenders—not even in this division.

The AFC West has a sort of glass half-empty, glass half-full feel to it.

If you're one to accentuate the positive, you might point out that not since 1989 have three teams been tied for a division lead this late in the season. That speaks to how competitive the AFC West is.

But it doesn't take much of a pessimist to see that each of the contenders in this division is badly flawed.

Kansas City is racked by injuries and while much has been made of the Chiefs' recovery from those blowouts in the first two weeks of the season to win four in a row, that was a team on Monday night that did everything it could to lose the game.

Conventional thinking states that, when teams are fairly evenly matched, the win goes to the team which "wants it most." The Chiefs and Chargers set that thinking on its ear Monday night; indeed, the Chiefs won because it appeared the Chargers in fact wanted it less.

The teams combined for eight turnovers and 21 penalties. The Chiefs were persistent in the running game, just not very good, averaging 2.9 yards on their 32 carries.

But Kansas City was saved because Rivers continues to morph into a turnover machine. After committing just 17 turnovers all of last season, Rivers' three giveaways Monday night give him 14 in seven games this year.

Call me crazy, but if you can count on your starting quarterback to cough up the ball twice a game, you're not going to win a lot.

Rivers' last turnover was the most inexplicable of them all. Needing to kneel down a couple of times to set up a potential game-winning, thirtysomething-yard field goal, Rivers forgot the steps necessary to successfully receive a snap from center.

Here's a clue, Phil—feel ball, close hands. Not close hands, feel ball.

The simplest, most fundamental aspect of offensive football and the Chargers failed at it with the game on the line.

Ladies and gentlemen, your AFC West co-leaders.