By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG
There is a power struggle going on in the AFC West. Just looking at the standings, it would seem the Kansas City Chiefs have all the power. But that’s the problem with just looking at one statistic, it doesn’t give you a full picture.
Taking a look at Week 7 for the AFC West, there are chances for that power to shift. Maybe not fully, but slightly. Quietly. In a way that may affect the playoffs down the road. Let’s look at each of the games and how they could change the AFC West.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) vs Los Angeles Chargers (1-4)
4:25 pm ET
The battle of the one-win teams. Here’s the deal, we all know the Chargers are better than their record says they are. They’ve taken two of the best teams in football, the Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints to overtime, and only lost by a field goal. In fact, they have only lost by a touchdown once, and that was to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This team is GOOD yet just a bit unlucky.
This game will be about defense for both teams. These teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to defense. The Jaguars defense, ranked 30th in the league, really struggles to slow down strong offenses, where the Chargers defense, ranked 9th, is like a brick wall to most teams.
If the Chargers win, and I’m thinking they will, it will show that they’ve figured out how to win games they should win, and give them a boost heading into Week 8 when they have a divisional game against the Denver Broncos. I think this is the week it starts to turn around for LA.
The Los Angeles Chargers are the best 1-4 team in the #NFL.
— Ariel Epstein (@ArielEpstein) October 13, 2020
Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) vs Denver Broncos (2-3)
4:25 pm ET
I wouldn’t bet the farm that the Broncos win this game, however, they always play the Chiefs well, especially in Denver. This game may end up being a blip on the schedule for the mighty Chiefs, but for the Broncos, it could mean a lot.
Kansas City is red hot, as everyone expected them to be. However, the Las Vegas Raiders proved that the Chiefs could be beaten. Then in the Week 6 win over the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs (yes they won, I get it) didn’t look as dominating as we are used to seeing them. This leaves the door open for the Broncos to prove a few things.
Denver was destroyed by injuries early in the season. In fact, I read they have the most cap space of any team in the league sitting on injured reserve. However, they are getting several injured players back this week. This means we may see more of what we all thought this team would be when the season started.
If the Broncos use their run game wisely and keep this game close, they don’t have to necessarily have to win to shift some focus back to the fact this is an up and coming team. A team that, if they had all of their weapons, would be fighting for this division.
Jon Gruden said #Raiders “had to send five starting linemen home because they were around Trent [Brown],” who will reportedly go on the COVID-19 list. “Hopefully we’ll get some players back tomorrow for Sunday.”
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) October 21, 2020
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) vs Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
8:20 pm ET
I added the above tweet after I wrote the article. This could change everything, but here were my thoughts before the COVID news…
The league probably didn’t realize how good of a game this would (should) be when they were making the schedule. I’m sure they were just wanting another reason to put QB Tom Brady on prime time. But as the entire AFC West has proven difficult for the Buccaneers, this could be a good one.
First and foremost, the Raiders aren’t afraid of anyone. They marched into Arrowhead Stadium and beat the reigning Super Bowl champions. They beat the New Orleans Saints. Elite quarterbacks don’t scare this team. Secondly, the Buccaneers and Raiders are well matched. Their rankings are quite similar, except for their defenses. Tampa Bay is ranked 3rd, boosted by an amazing showing in their last game, and the Raiders are ranked 12th.
Now, am I saying the Raiders are a perfect team? No. They definitely have had their struggles. There was that game against the New England Patriots that they’d like to forget. But this is a very winnable game for the newly relocated team, and if they should win it, the division favorite Kansas City Chiefs will have to constantly keep their eyes on the rearview mirror because the Raiders will be hot on their heels.
Kansas City is the team to beat in the division, the AFC, and the league. They are a complete team that can win any game at any time. But this division is quietly getting competitive, and with the expanded playoffs, the power in the group doesn’t just lie in KC.
Follow Dayna on Twitter // @DaynaOG
#SmartWomen #SmartFootball
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