AFC West Breakdown: Week Two

The only team to win in week two was the Denver Broncos. That puts the Broncos, the Raiders, and the Chargers in a tie for first in the AFC West. Not only did the Chiefs lose their second straight game, but they lost a major player in their backfield. If was a rough week for most teams in the AFC West, but there’s still a lot of season left. Let’s take a look at the week that was and the week that’s to come.

Denver Broncos (1-1):

Looking Back: With a limited lineup that had 6 starters out with injuries and Tim Tebow lining up at wide receiver, it was the Broncos defense that pulled off the so-called “three pointer at the buzzer.” The Bengals had the ball and were within two points with less than two-minutes left in regulation. All that was needed was a field goal to make the Broncos lose for the second straight week at home. Corner Jonathan Wilhite sacked Andy Dalton, and Wesley Woodyard made a leaping dive to knock down a pass to give the Broncos the 24-22 win. Eric Decker had 5 catches for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kyle Orton went 15-for-25 for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns while Willis McGahee had 101 yards and a TD on 28 carries.

Looking Forward: The Broncos head out on the road for the first time this season, and doing it with a win under their belt is important for team morale. Week three sends them into Tennessee to face a Titans team that beat up on the Baltimore Ravens 26-13. The Titans appear to be one of those teams that has enough talent to be competitive with the best in the league, but also has enough screws loose that it would force them into some losses against weaker teams. The Broncos will have to look forward to figuring out how to stop yet another dynamic back in Chris Johnson.

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2):

Looking Back: The Chiefs would rather look back to last season when they were in the playoffs. This season has seen enough injuries to keep the team’s medical staff on its toes more than a ballerina on Broadway. The ACL has turned out to be the Chiefs worst enemy. First it was Tony Moeaki in the last preseason game, then it was Eric Berry in week one. This past week saw the team’s best rusher Jamaal Charles crumble at the feet of the Lions’ mascot. Charles crumbled and so did the rest of the Chiefs, 48-3. The Chiefs have squeaked 10 points out of their offense the last two games combined. The defense has allowed 89 points.

Looking Forward: For a team with a dark outlook, things don’t get easier as they have to travel to sunny San Diego to take on an angry Chargers team. Coming off of a week two loss to New England, the Bolts are looking forward to hosting a team that is hurting bad. Matt Cassel has the second-worst QB rating in the league (50.4) and he has already thrown four interceptions, and just one touchdown. To even compete with the Chargers, the Chiefs have to get more points up on the board. If they don’t want to give up 89 points alone to the Chargers, the defense has to at least lace up their shoes.

Oakland Raiders (1-1):

Looking Back: The Raiders opened with a tough schedule to start their season. First it was to Denver, then it was much further east to Buffalo. The Bills shocked the league last week by embarrassing the Chiefs 41-7 at Arrowhead. The world wondered if this was just a fluke or if the Bills were for real. Turns out that they may be for real. They beat the Raiders 38-35 with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for 264 yards and 3 TDs. Jason Campbell put up impressive numbers of his own going 23-for-33 for 2 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD. In the end, it was one defensive breakdown by the Raiders that allowed the Bills to score the game-winning TD with 14 seconds remaining.

Looking Forward: Oakland throws out the welcome mat to the team that has cameras on them 24 hours per day. The New York Jets (2-0) travel to a predictably wild black hole for the Raiders’ first home game of the season. Nnamdi Asomugha gets his return to Oakland out of the way very quickly in what will presumably be the only time we see respect for a player from another team coming from Raider Nation. The Jets are only allowing 13.5 points per game and you can bet that their game plan will target stopping Darren McFadden.

San Diego Chargers (1-1):

Looking Back: The Chargers lost it 35-21 to the best-playing team in the league right now. Not even Philip Rivers could keep pace with Tom Brady and the Patriots. Rivers had 378 yards and 2 TDs, but he also threw 2 INTs. The Patriots offense was just too good and their defense was unrelenting. They forced the Chargers into 4 turnovers. Ryan Mathews led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 64 yards and a score while Vincent Jackson had 10 catches for 172 yards and 2 TDs.

Looking Forward: The Chargers will look forward to an easier matchup against a depleted and defeated Chiefs team. This game should get the Bolts back on track for their remaining games before their bye week. After the bye is when the Chargers’ schedule becomes unfavorable.

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