AFC West Preview – Week Eleven
By Craig Hurst
Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) reacts to his sack of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn (9) (background) in the third quarter at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Finally Bronco fans the wait is over, it is time to get it on with the 9-0 Kansas City Chiefs! This Bronco fan living in Chiefs country is SO ready for the game to be played! To be totally honest with fans in Bronco Country, it has been a difficult week living around Chief fans! I am not overly confident this week as I think it will be difficult for the Denver Broncos to end the Chiefs nine game wining streak, but the Broncos do have a very solid team, even with a Peyton Manning who is not 100% healthy. For more thoughts on this game plus the other games featuring AFC West teams, please continue reading.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: Due to the league switching this AFC West showdown to Sunday night, I have to wait a few extra hours to watch the Broncos and Chiefs. Those few extra hours will probably seem like weeks to me because every year this game is always marked on my calendar, more so now given the record of the Kansas City Chiefs and their perfect season through nine games. There is no need to do any additional analysis on this game because I think every major network has done that, as well as most football fans as they’ve gone through their work week. A synopsis of this game – can the Chiefs high rated defense stop the Broncos high rated offense? Depending who you talk to or who your favorite team is, there are different answers to that question. No matter how much you research and analyze, it is impossible to predict the outcome of this game, or any NFL game for that matter. In order for the Broncos to improve to 9-1 it is pretty simple – Jack Del Rio and his staff must out think the Chiefs coaching staff, while the players go out and execute the game plan. Unfortunately, there will probably be a big play or two that will shift the momentum and possibly the outcome of the game. If that happens, let’s hope those plays favor the Broncos. So the wait is almost over! Regardless of what happens on the field, I am looking forward to being in the stadium and part of the 75,000 fans who will be united in orange cheering for the Broncos!
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans: Through nine games, the combined record of the Raiders and Texans is 5-13. While the Raiders are in the cellar of the AFC West, the Texans are in third place in the AFC South, one game ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams are coming off losses in week ten; the Raiders to the NewYork Giants, and the Texans to the Arizona Cardinals. It certainly appears that this game is for pride only as playoff hopes for these teams will probably have to be pushed to the 2014 season. Gary Kubiak returns after suffering a mini-stroke two weeks ago, and will be coaching from the press box. I will give the advantage to the Texans in this game, only because I am more fond of Gary Kubiak than I am the silver and black.
San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins: The soap opera like situation in Miami is currently put on hold today as two 4-5 teams battle to reach .500! The Chargers are coming off a loss to divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos, while the Dolphins attempt to rebound after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. San Diego’s offense was held in-check last week against the Broncos but I fully expect them to turn that around today. It’s mid-November and the Miami forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-80’s which doesn’t seem like football weather to me but we are talking about the Chargers and Dolphins; their definition of football weather is so different than Bronco fans!
Go Broncos – beat Kansas City!