AFC West Preview – Week Seven
By Craig Hurst
Aug 24, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (58) during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
If you wrote a script for the 2013 NFL season, you would definitely have Peyton Manning visiting his old team and, of course, Peyton’s new team would be undefeated. For more excitement and drama, go ahead and make the game a prime time nationally televised game. It is cliché, but many times throughout an NFL season, I catch myself saying “you can’t write this stuff!” Obviously, NFL schedule makers can’t predict a team’s record, but they can determine when and where team’s players perform; after all, the NFL is in the entertainment business. Once again, the Denver Broncos find themselves in one of the most anticipated games of the week, if not the season, when Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis to face the team where he became a superstar, professional quarterback. For more thoughts on the Denver Broncos trip to Indianapolis, as well as the other games featuring AFC West teams, please continue reading.
San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars: Surprisingly, the Chargers looked good last Monday in their 19-9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. A good Chargers outing, coupled with a subpar performance by Andrew Luck, allowed the Chargers to improve to 3-3 and in a sense, jump start their season. With two games each against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, the Chargers have to have a bit of hope that they have a shot at the division crown. If the Jacksonville Jaguars that travelled to Denver welcome the Chargers, San Diego’s fourth win of the season may not come easily. I believe San Diego will win this contest, because let’s face it, an undefeated team led by Peyton Manning will cause any team to be a bit more motivated. San Diego may not infuse the Jaguars with the desire they had in week six against the Broncos. San Diego has a long trip across the country for this game, so distance travelled and the time zone change may impact this game.
Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs: The way Matt Schaub’s season was going, I don’t think him being out of this game makes it any worse for the Texans as they travel to Arrowhead. Case Keenum gets the start and will try to hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season. The Kansas City defense looks good this season, and Keenum is getting his first start, so I don’t expect this to be the week Kansas City loses…. unfortunately!
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts: The main story line for this game has obviously been Peyton Manning returning to Indianapolis to face his old team. I am anxious to see how Manning, and the entire Broncos team, performs given that their performance last week against the winless Jacksonville Jaguars wasn’t real pretty, despite improving their record to 6-0. In addition to Manning returning to his “homeland,” there is also intrigue in Broncos Country since this game marks the return of Von Miller. Will Miller be in game shape? Probably not, but let’s be honest, Miller at 75% is still a valuable weapon to have on defense. I just hope Miller learned a life lesson from this situation and will only use it to be a better person/player moving forward. Anytime the Broncos take the field, I am nervous because you never know how the game will unfold. I am hoping the Broncos weather the storm of the amped Colts – both player and fans – and are able to execute their game plan. The Colts are coming off a Monday Night Football loss to the San Diego Chargers so, I expect that to add a bit of fuel to their drive and desire. I’m one that thinks a loss the previous week is more of a motivator for a team rather than an obstacle, at least at the professional level. The Broncos went to Dallas and won when a small part of me thought they would lose. I’m going to step out of my comfort zone a bit and predict the Broncos win this game easily. I’m just thinking that after last week’s performance and the drive Manning has, the Broncos will be ready to make a statement!
Go Broncos – beat the Colts!
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