NFL Week 11: Who's Hot, Who's Not in the AFC West

Who's hot and who's not in the AFC West? It seems like it changes each week.

No division in football has been more difficult to figure out. Each team in the division has had its ups and downs while new quarterbacks have made plays. The division continues to develop interesting storylines despite the average play of its teams.

So let's look at what's trending this week in the AFC West. 

Hot: Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer struggled mightily in his first two games for the Oakland Raiders, throwing 6 interceptions. Against the Chargers though, he had a coming out party.

Palmer completed 14 of his 20 passes for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns. The vertical passing game appears to be back in Oakland and the Raiders lead the AFC West. 

Not: Chargers

Once again the Chargers are underachieving at the mid-point of the season. This time, though, the path has been a little different.

The Chargers got off to an uncharacteristically good 4-1 start. Since then, they have lost four straight, including two games in the division.

Turnovers have been an issue and the Chargers are a game back in the AFC West. Will talent ever turn into wins for this team?

Hot: Denarius Moore

Coinciding with the development of the Raiders passing game was the breakthrough of rookie Denarius Moore. Moore has established himself as a downfield threat for the Raiders, averaging 17.2 yards per reception.

Against the Chargers, Moore hauled in five catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. His development alongside Darrius Heyward-Bey could prove crucial to the Raiders’ success. 

Not: Phillip Rivers

The 2011 season has been one to forget so far for Phillip Rivers. Rivers has thrown an interception in all but one of his teams games. In fact, his 15 interceptions, which leads the league, has already tied a season high for his career.

Additionally, Rivers completion percentage of 61.4 and his yards per attempt of 7.79 are his lowest since 2007. The Chargers are 4-5 on the season and hopes of turning things around hinge on Rivers.

Hot: Eric Decker

When Denver traded Brandon Lloyd there were questions as to who would step up among the Broncos wide receivers. Eric Decker has answered those questions.

Decker’s numbers won't be found among the league leaders, but he still deserves appreciation. In an offense geared heavily toward running the ball and with a quarterback averaging just 131.5 yards passing as a starter, Decker has still managed to put up decent numbers.

In his last three games Decker has averaged 58 receiving yards, scoring a touchdown in each game. These are modest numbers by some standards. For the Broncos, though, Decker has been the only weapon through the air. 

Not: Chiefs

No team has been more up and down in the 2011 season than the Kansas City Chiefs. After losing its first two games in embarrassing fashion, the Chiefs rattled off four straight wins to put themselves back in contention.

Since then, the Chiefs have lost back to back home games to the Dolphins and Broncos. The Chiefs are still just a game out in the AFC West but face a tough stretch with the Patriots, Steelers and Bears in their next three games. 

Hot: Broncos

Forget all the stats when it comes to Tim Tebow. The Broncos have won three out of four games. That hasn’t happened since they reeled off six straight wins to begin the 2009 season.

The Broncos are suddenly running an option based offense and it’s working for them. Questions have been raised about the long-term sustainability of this offense but the Broncos sit just one game out of first place in the AFC West. For now, the Broncos are hot. 

Not: Tim Tebow

It’s difficult to determine whether Tim Tebow should be in the hot or not category. He has struggled to find any type of rhythm since becoming a starter, but the Broncos are 3-1 in that time.

Although Tebow does deserve some credit for the success of the Broncos, he has failed to progress as a passer. Despite a win, a two completion performance lands him in the not category.