Raiders Give Broncos Full Command Over the AFC West

Nov 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28 ) is defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) on an 11-yard touchdown run in the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With an impressive, gutty performance against the 7-3 Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders not only notched their first win in over a calendar year, but that win may have sealed the AFC West…for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos and Chiefs were previously ‘tied’ atop the AFC West with a record of 7-3, but the Broncos held tiebreakers including head to head and superior division record. The Chiefs moved to 7-4 after the loss to Oakland, and the Broncos have a chance at home this weekend against the Miami Dolphins to improve to 8-3 and take a step towards a dominant lead in the division heading down the home stretch of the season.

If the Broncos can beat the Miami Dolphins, who are a tough team coming in, they will have a full game lead over the Chiefs going into next weekend’s matchup in Kansas City on Sunday Night Football, which should be an exciting game regardless of the bad teams these two have lost to in recent weeks.

Playing the hypothetical game here, if the Broncos can beat the Chiefs on their home field after a big win against Miami this weekend, it will give them a two game lead over the Chiefs with two head-to-head wins and a substantial lead in divisional games. The Broncos are currently 3-0 in AFC West play, while the Chiefs are 1-2.

First and foremost, the Broncos need to do what we all know they can and should do this weekend, and that’s beat the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are not a bad team at all, in fact, they are a playoff contender and a team that is capable of doing big things against big teams. However, the Broncos are playing on their home field coming off of a terrible loss to the St. Louis Rams. This seems like a game where the Broncos are going to be ultra-focused and determined to get a ‘W’.

At any rate, Thursday night’s performance by Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, and the Oakland Raiders was one that the Broncos have to tip their caps to. They took down the Chiefs and got their first win of the season, and in doing so, they have potentially helped the Broncos to their fourth consecutive AFC West division title.