AFC West Recap – Week Three

Sep 21, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) celebrates his two-point conversation catch against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The much-anticipated Super Bowl rematch between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks turned out to be quite the football game! While the Broncos made a valiant effort coming back from a two touchdown deficit, they were unable to escape Seattle with a victory, losing 26-20 in overtime. Please continue reading for more of my thoughts on this game, as well as the other week three games featuring teams from the AFC West.

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks: Since this game ended, social media has been exploding with many, many thoughts about what the Broncos did wrong and why they didn’t win the game. Depending on your perspective, you may be pleased with the effort and can live with the loss, or you may be fuming because of the Bronco mistakes and the conservative play calling. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, it is easy to present arguments for both sides. If you read my AFC West preview, I stated that I felt the Broncos would struggle in Seattle and would probably lose by 7-10 points. I don’t claim to be a football expert by any means but my prediction was pretty accurate, unfortunately. Since the game ended in overtime there was no need to kick the extra point after Marshawn Lynch scored, preventing my prediction to be spot on. While the Broncos lost, I was pleasantly surprised with the effort they showed in coming back from a two touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter. The touchdown drive toward the end of the fourth quarter and the two point conversion that sent the game to overtime was a thing of beauty and will unfortunately be lost over time due to the fact that the Broncos didn’t close the deal in overtime. The last two weeks the Broncos defense bent but managed to step up at the end of the game, securing the win. While the defense kept the Broncos in the game on Sunday and played very tough, in overtime they were unable to make the stop which would have given the ball back to the Broncos and a chance to win it. While Russell Wilson was primarily kept in check for four quarters, he hurt the Broncos on the overtime drive by converting third downs when his team needed it. All that being said, the Broncos went into a very tough place to play and had the defending Super Bowl champions on their heels. Because I live in Chiefs Country where the Kansas City Chiefs/Miami Dolphins game aired, I had to watch the Bronco game at a local sports bar. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many Bronco fans at the bar supporting the Broncos! Needless to say, the crowd was going nuts on the fourth quarter drive. When Peyton Manning connected with Jacob Tamme for the twenty-six yard touchdown pass and the Demaryius Thomas two point conversion it was if I was sitting in Mile High Stadium! Broncomania is alive and well in Kansas!

Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins: The Chiefs notched their first win of the season by defeating the Miami Dolphins 34-14 in Miami. Knile Davis did an admirable job filling in for the injured Jamaal Charles by rushing for 132 yards and one touchdown. In addition to the Davis performance, Joe McKnight added 6 receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns. I read an article earlier this week that 0% of Fantasy teams owned McKnight. My assumption is that this will change, if it already hasn’t. While the Chiefs performed well, they still find themselves in third place looking up to San Diego and Denver in the division. The Chiefs will see if they can continue their winning streak over the AFC East in week four on Monday night when the New England Patriots visit Arrowhead Stadium.

Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots: I have to admit that my prediction for this game was way off because I expected the Patriots to soundly beat the Oakland Raiders. Not only was I confident the Patriots would win easily, I also thought the Raiders would suffer a defeat worse than their week two 30-14 loss to the Houston Texans. So, how did the Raiders face the Patriots in New England and despite a loss, keep the game relatively close at 16-9? Obviously, the defense of both teams stepped up in this one and prevented either team from scoring touchdowns. A total of six field goals (three for each team) were scored to one touchdown, which came in the second quarter when Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski for a six yard score. The Raiders will try to get their first win of the season next week when the Dolphins visit the black hole.

San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills: The Chargers got their second when in a row by defeating the Buffalo Bills on the road. The win moved the Chargers into a first place tie in the division with Denver. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers continues to play well and statistically had a good game completing 18 of 25 passes for 256 years and two touchdowns. The season is early and it appears head coach Mike McCoy definitely has the Chargers on the right track. Not only is the offense clicking, the Chargers defense is also playing well, as indicated by holding the Bills to only ten points. It is five weeks away but the Thursday night matchup in Denver between the Charger and Broncos is looking to be a great matchup and definitely could definitely impact the division championship. Five weeks is a long time and a lot can happen in that amount of time. While the Broncos are recipients of a bye in week four, the Chargers play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars. My assumption is that the Chargers will easily win this game but about the time you think you’ve got the outcomes of games figured out, it changes. Three weeks into the season it definitely appears that San Diego and Denver will be battling for the division crown. The Chargers running back corp has taken a hit the last two weeks with a Ryan Matthews injury in the Seattle game (will be out four weeks with a strained MCL); Danny Woodhead suffered a broken fibula against the Bills and was placed in on injured-reserve, ending his 2014 season.

Go Broncos – enjoy the bye week and get ready for Arizona!

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