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So the Broncos and Chiefs absolutely manhandled their opponents, and the Raiders actually had a solid showing in a loss to the Colts. I am looking forward to seeing the Chargers play tonight. I think they are going to need to pull out all the stops in order to win this game against the Texans. But who knows what is going to happen? Week 1 is always really unpredictable. I'll be pulling for the Texans to put the Chargers in an early hole!
So week 1 is fully in the books. The AFC West looks like this:
Broncos: 1-0
Chiefs: 1-0
Chargers: 0-1
Raiders: 0-1
The Chargers looked like a football team through their opening drive of the second half. That game had to bring back bad memories of last year's MNF game against the Broncos in which they led 24-0 at the half and lost the game 35-24. They did show some signs of life on both sides of the ball though, and against a lesser team they would have run away with that game. I think they looked good enough that they'll give the Chiefs a run for their money.
Having lived in San Diego during the Chargers "good" years, I can't say I'm too heart broken about another Chargers loss. I still have friends in San Diego who were all over FB as the game progressed, and then mysteriously disappeared after a while.
Next week its Chiefs vs Cowboys, Broncos @ Giants, Chargers @ Eagles, and Raiders vs Jaguars. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
All teams in the AFC West won this week. Not too shabby.
I did not expect the Chargers to go on the road and slow down that Eagles offense, so credit to them for gutting one out on the road.
I picked the Cowboys over the Chiefs but that was a tough pick and it does not surprise me that the Chiefs won their home opener.
The Raiders beat the Jags, so no surprise there.
The Broncos went on the road and put a stomping on the Giants in a very impressive win.
After two its:
Broncos: 2-0
Chiefs: 2-0
Chargers: 1-1
Raiders: 1-1
Next week the Broncos host the Raiders on MNF, and the Chiefs travel to take on the Eagles for Andy Reid's return to Philadelphia. That's the Thursday Night game. The Chargers have the unpleasant task of winning back to back road games in the Eastern Time Zone as they travel to Nashville and take on the Titans.
It's early but I think the AFC West has improved a lot over last year.
I am glad the Chargers won. Starting 0-2 would have been a big hole to climb out of. The Titans seem pretty weak to me so even though it is an away game I am hopeful the Chargers can pull it off. I don't think there is a Chargers thread. We don't have many fans. Our games don't sell out, get blacked out, so I will comment on this thread.
Broncos will run away with division. Chiefs much improved. Can't stand the Raiders so won't say anything good about them ever...sorry.
Here are my picks for te AFC West teams and my rationale behind them:
Chiefs @ Eagles: Andy Reid returns to his old haunts to face a completely revitalised Eagles team. A lot of the faces are the same but the system is completely different. This is a huge test for a greatly improved Chiefs defense. The Chiefs defense has looked good, no doubt. I don't blame you if you ate skeptical, though. The Jags are not exactly a powerhouse offense and the team played up in a highly anticipated home opener against the Cowboys. These may be valid points, but anyone watching knows this defense is playing way better than anything the team has fielded in probably over a decade. The question is are they good enough to slow the Eagles on the road on a short week? If not the Chiefs are in trouble. Alex Smith is a good addition to the team and a huge upgrade over pretty much every imposter posing as an NFL quarterback in Kansas City since Trent Green left. But their offense does not look to be able to play from behind a few scores. If the Chiefs get down early they may find themselves getting chased right out of the stadium. I don't think that will happen, though. I think the Chiefs will be in it, but fall short. Eagles 31, Chiefs 24.
Chargers @ Titans: the Titans are a little better than I figured they would be. They went into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers and the very next week took a much better Texans team to OT, also on the road. It's tough to win back to back road games, and this week that's exactly what the Chargers will try to do. I actually think the Chargers are a better team than the Titans, but they get the good fortune of playing the Titans' home opener. Rivers looked a lot better last week after their Monday night meltdown, so it's hard to count the Chargers out of this one. Still I think the Titans are good enough to hold serve at home against a road weary opponent. Titans 27, Chargers 24.
Raiders @ Broncos: the Raiders offense leads the league in rushing yards, while the Broncos defense is 1st in defending the run. The Raiders passing offense is ranked 29th against the Broncos 28th ranked pass defense. At first glance it appears to be a good matchup, and maybe it will be. But I would argue part of the reason the Broncos are ranked so high against the run and so low against the pass is because both the Ravens and Giants had to abandon the run and start slinging it. Flacco and Manning both had 362 passing yards. Despite such gaudy numbers the Broncos secondary is actually pretty good, claiming 6 interventions against the leagues two most recent Super Bowl winning QBs. The Raiders will get their yards on the ground, but their defense does not have the tools to slow down the Broncos offense. If the Raiders get into a position where they have to abandon their strength (run game) and start throwing, this game is going to get ugly for them. I think it will. Broncos 37, Raiders 13.
The Chargers are going to be a tough team to figure out this season. Nobody wants to be 1-2, but they have been in every game so far. Yet they blew a three touchdown lead at home and gave up a deep winning score with less than a minute to play. They host the Cowboys next in what should be a high scoring game. All three of the chargers games have been 3 point games. They look better than last year's team but they appear to be undisciplined and unable to put away the opponent. Thisis going to cost them some wins this season unless they make major improvements in their mental game.
Meanwhile I cannot wait for the Broncos to kick off at home against the Raiders. I think most expect a Broncos win, and I am confident they will, but I won't count out the Raiders. A Raiders win makes for a very interesting twist in the AFC West plot in the early goings this season.
The Chargers are going to be a tough team to figure out this season. Nobody wants to be 1-2, but they have been in every game so far. Yet they blew a three touchdown lead at home and gave up a deep winning score with less than a minute to play. They host the Cowboys next in what should be a high scoring game. All three of the chargers games have been 3 point games. They look better than last year's team but they appear to be undisciplined and unable to put away the opponent. Thisis going to cost them some wins this season unless they make major improvements in their mental game.
Meanwhile I cannot wait for the Broncos to kick off at home against the Raiders. I think most expect a Broncos win, and I am confident they will, but I won't count out the Raiders. A Raiders win makes for a very interesting twist in the AFC West plot in the early goings this season.
I agree in your assessmet about the Chargers. Undisciplined! The coverage on that final play...pathetic!
I agree in your assessmet about the Chargers. Undisciplined! The coverage on that final play...pathetic!
Your name fits...you do know football!
You are too kind!
The discipline issue is something the coaches can correct only to a certain extent. It is a matter of mental preparation and toughness of the individual players ultimately. Each man has to do his part. Every team goes through this kind of thing from time to time. If you are a Chargers fan there is a lot to like about this team. They are better than last year. After a 3 game sample, you can't really count them out of any game looming on their schedule. They are good enough to reach their bye at 5-2, and bad enough to reach it at 2-5. (That second win coming from the Jags, of course.)
I am really curious to see how they stack up against the Chiefs. If the Chargers find a way to win a couple of these close ones (and they already have with one of them) they and the Chiefs could become major factors in the playoff discussion down the later part of the season. But I am getting ahead of myself. Cowboys @ Chargers will be a good game this coming week.
It wood be very funny if the Raiders sweep the Broncos this season in both games
Well, so much for that.
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