AFC West Preview – Week Seven
By Craig Hurst
Carson Palmer will lead the Oakland Raiders into Week Eight as they face the Jacksoville Jaguars. The Raiders are the only AFC West team in action this week as the other teams have a bye. (Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE)
While the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs take the week off, the Oakland Raiders welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. Please continue reading for my brief thoughts on that game, as well as my thoughts on the entire AFC West and where each team sits after six weeks of the NFL season.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders: Both teams enter this game sitting at 1-4 so I am sure this is considered a “must-win game” for both organizations. The Raiders definitely have an advantage over the Jaguars since they’re at home and didn’t have to make the cross-country journey to play football. A loss for the Raiders would put them at 1-5 and at the bottom of the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs. Carson Palmer needs to have a big game, not only for the sake of the Raiders, but for me as well because I have him starting this week on my Fantasy Football team. This may be a huge game for Palmer as the Jaguars are allowing 261.0 passing yards/game (ranked 23rd in the league).
The Broncos, after their huge come from behind victory on Monday night, enter the bye week probably feeling good where they are at six weeks into the season. The Broncos will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football when they return to action in Week Eight. The Broncos must figure out a way to put together four quarters of football if they want to continue their winning ways. The bright side is that the Broncos have faced the toughest part of their schedule; however, they must continue to improve and look past no team. This probably isn’t as big of problem for the team as it their fans.
I am not sure which team, the Chargers or Chiefs, enter their bye week feeling worse? The Chiefs played poorly in Tampa Bay and the scoreboard reflected it, as they were outscored 31-7 in the second half by the Buccaneers. The Chargers obviously enter the bye week on a down note due to their Monday night collapse when they surrendered 35 unanswered points to their division rivals from Colorado. The Chiefs have a major problem due to their quarterback issue and determining who will lead the team. Right now, I believe that the Matt Cassel injury allows only them more time to cover up a huge obstacle the team needs to try and resolve. The Chargers, despite the Monday night loss, still find themselves at 3-3. In Week Eight, the Chargers travel to Cleveland to face the Browns, while the Chiefs will host the Oakland Raiders.
Analyzing the season one week at a time, I feel good about where the Broncos sit in the division and very optimistic given what I’ve seen this team do on the field. It should be quite entertaining as we watch the Broncos play the next eight games.
Enjoy the bye week Bronco fans!
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