Raiders vs. Chargers: Which Team Has a Better Shot at Winning AFC West?

The AFC West has been surprisingly weak so far in 2011.

Most people thought the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs would battle it out for the division crown this year, with the Oakland Raiders close behind.

Technically, that’s been true this year. But, it just hasn’t been to the level we expected it.

The Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders were all tied atop the AFC West at 4-4 heading into the Chargers’ Thursday night matchup against the Raiders, so they were technically in a battle for first.

Most people just figured the battle would be between 5-3 or 6-2 teams, not teams battling to stay above .500.

But, looking at the matchup between the Chargers and Raiders, which of those teams has the best chance of winning the AFC West?

First, let’s look at the offenses. The Chargers are led by big names like Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. The Raiders are led by newly acquired Carson Palmer and Darren McFadden (when healthy).

So, the edge in offense should go to the Chargers. But lately, the Chargers offense has been making a lot of costly mistakes.

If they ever get those issues sorted out, they’ll have a clear edge on that side of the ball.

Defensively, the Chargers also have the edge. They are currently ranked seventh in terms of total yards, while the Raiders are 27th.

But, the Chargers have worse special teams (is there a better kicker than Sebastian Janikowski?), and also have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot at the end of each game.

So, who has the better chances of winning the AFC West?

Based on history, I’ll give the edge to the Chargers.

Typically, Norv Turner’s squads start the season slow and then get hot at the end of the year in time to make the playoffs.

This year, the Chargers started the season out hot and are now in the middle of their trademark slump that normally occurs at the beginning of the season.

If the Chargers can stay relatively healthy from now until the end of the season, they have a clear edge over the Raiders, especially if Darren McFadden’s injury lingers for Oakland.

It should be a fun race to watch down the stretch. The final records won’t be great, but it’ll be a hard-fought battle to be sure.