AFC West Recap – Week Eleven

Nov 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach John Fox reacts on the sidelines against the St. Louis Rams in the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

There is a part of me that doesn’t even want to write this weeks AFC West recap!  The Denver Broncos went east to St. Louis in week eleven and were soundly beaten by the St. Louis Rams 22-7, falling to 7-3 on the year.  While 7-3 after ten games isn’t bad, it now puts the Broncos tied (record-wise) with the Kansas City Chiefs and two games behind the New England Patriots for home-field advantage.  For my thoughts on the Broncos less-than-stellar performance, as well as the two other games that had teams from the AFC West, please continue reading.

Denver Broncos at St. Louis Rams:  Two days removed from the upset of week eleven, I am still dumbfounded how the Broncos let this happen!  I stated in my “week eleven preview” post that there was no such thing as an easy win but in reality, I don’t think I really believed it! In a game that the Broncos should have won, they laid an egg and lost their third game of the year that they should have won.  I am not going to analyze why or try to determine what different decisions could have been made because there is no use in doing that at this point – plain and simple, the Broncos lost.  While this is only one game, a loss at this point in the season puts the Broncos in a spot I would rather not be in – tied for first place in the division with the Chiefs (although if the season ended today, the Broncos would win the tie-breaker only because they have beaten the Chiefs this year) and two games behind the Patriots for home-field advantage (to gain home-field advantage, the Broncos will have to have a better record than New England due to the Patriots victory over the Broncos in week nine).  Definitely not hoping, or expecting, to be in this spot going into week twelve.  While six games remain, I am concerned that if the Broncos don’t change the way they performed on Sunday, not only will they not have home-field advantage, they may not even make the playoffs.  Injuries were a major problem on Sunday but for years we’ve heard Coach John Fox say “next man up”.  Saying it and doing it are two different things!  Thank goodness the Broncos return home in week twelve to face the 6-4 Miami Dolphins before hitting the road again against the Kansas City Chiefs.  Hopefully, the Broncos are able to bottle their frustration and take it out on the boys from south Florida.  If they don’t perform well this Sunday, my confidence going into Arrowhead will possibly reach an all-time low.

Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs:  Behind a solid defensive performance and another good game by Jamaal Charles (159 yards and two touchdowns), the Chiefs increased their winning streak to five games with a 24-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.  I am biased (anti-Chiefs) but I would like to think the outcome would have been different if the game was played in Seattle, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.  The victory improves the Chiefs record to 7-3 and technically puts them in a tie for first place in the division with the Broncos.  It is funny how bad the Broncos 7-3 feels compared to the Chiefs 7-3; I am a diehard Bronco fan and extremely frustrated with the Broncos at this point but I have seen the Chief fans at 7-3 and they are ecstatic.  The Broncos better regain their focus because the Chiefs are on a roll; I am not looking forward to the Broncos making the trip to Kansas City in two weeks.  In a very unique and impressive stat – the Chiefs have yet to give up a rushing touchdown this season.  Given the Broncos current state of their rushing attack, that is a huge concern.  One more game before the Broncos visit Arrowhead and there is so much to do!  Ugggggh!

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers: The Oakland Raiders were close but still ended up on the losing end of their divisional contest against the San Diego Chargers.  The 13-6 loss, which is the Raiders tenth of the season, keeps Oakland the only winless team in the league.  While it wasn’t the prettiest win, San Diego improves to 6-4, keeping ground with Kansas City while gaining a game on the Broncos.  With six games remaining, and two of those games against the Chiefs and Broncos, the Chargers are still in the hunt for the division championship! Ugggggh!  The Raiders on the other hand, have probably already started preparation for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Go Broncos!

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