NFL Playoff Scenarios: Will the Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders Win AFC West?

With one week left in the NFL regular season, the AFC West has yet to crown a champion. The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders both sit at 8-7 and are the only two who can win the division.

The Broncos play host to Kansas City while the Raiders host the San Diego Chargers. If the Broncos win, they take the division, but a loss with an Oakland win give the Raiders the crown.

All that being said, who claims the AFC West in Week 17?

Well, here's a quick breakdown of each team's game and the results.

Denver Broncos (vs Chiefs)

Denver hosts the Chiefs who are starting Kyle Orton. As we know, Orton started for Denver at the beginning of 2011, so it's certain that Kyle knows how to attack the Broncos defense.

That being said, Orton has no mobility, and although the Green Bay Packers have a decent pass rush, The Orange Crush with Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil is much better. Therefore, expect the Broncos to be in Orton's face all day while putting bump-n-run coverage on the WRs.

The Broncos need to run the ball effectively on offense. Kansas City's pass defense is too good for Tim Tebow to have any consistent success with non-established WRs. Additionally, Denver can't allow pass-rusher Tamba Hali opportunities to dominate like he did against Green Bay.

Any time Tebow drops back, he quick passes to limit the coverage and pass rush or utilizes his scrambling ability to make plays. As long as Denver can get a pass rush on Orton and control the game tempo on the ground, there's no chance for the Chiefs to salvage something in 2011.

Broncos over Chiefs

Oakland Raiders (vs Chargers)

The last time these two met in San Diego, Oakland RB Michael Bush ran all over the Chargers front seven. They had no chance at slowing him down and the Raiders solid pass rush got a ton of pressure on Philip Rivers.

This time around, don't expect much different.

Oakland's passing game has improved, and that dynamic will take effect against the San Diego secondary. In turn, there won't be as many defenders playing up to the line to slow down the Raiders ground game.

Also, if the Raiders want to limit the Chargers' potentially explosive offense they must press cover Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. Forcing San Diego into a rushing slug-fest gives The Silver and Black a distinct advantage.

And don't forget Oakland punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski—the Raiders win the field position and special teams aspect by a wide margin.

Raiders over Chargers

Aftermath

Since the Broncos win, Denver gets the division over Oakland, but Week 17 also pits the Cincinnati Bengals against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are still fighting for the AFC North title and the Bengals currently sit as the AFC's No. 6 seed.

So, expect Baltimore to beat Cincy which will then propel the Raiders over the Bengals (thus keeping the Bo Jackson curse from 1990 on Cincy alive) and into the AFC's No. 6 seed. 

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27