Oct 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers line up across from each other in the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos are 10-3 and one win away from clinching their fourth consecutive AFC West crown. That opportunity comes today against division foe, the San Diego Chargers in San Diego. For my thoughts on this game, as well as the other game featuring AFC West rivals, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, please continue reading.
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers: After a hard-fought 24-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills in week fourteen, the Broncos start a two game stretch away from Mile High Stadium that starts in San Diego against the 8-5 Chargers. As stated earlier, if the Broncos win today they will clinch the AFC West title, as well as that ever-so-important playoff spot. Homefield advantage is still undetermined in the AFC but the Broncos will need help acquring that so it is what it is. The Broncos must execute and play well today because the Chargers are fighting for their playoff lives and always seem to play the Broncos tough. Over the last ten years, the Broncos are 5-5 when traveling to San Diego, but only one of those losses has occurred in the last five years. The Broncos and Chargers have met a total of 110 times and Denver holds the advantage, winning sixty of those games. Hopefully today, Peyton Manning will have a better game than last week (14-173; 2 interceptions and no touchdown passes) but if he doesn’t the ground game has proven the last couple of weeks that they have the potential to carry the load when and if necessary. The weather in San Diego today is 65 degrees and partly cloudy with minimal wind so it would be nice for the passing game to take off again. Like I always say, I really don’t care HOW the Broncos get it done, I just want them to get done! Let’s hope the team is travelling back to Colorado tonight celebrating another division championship.
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: I have a nephew, I will call him Bo, who is a die-hard Raider fans – always has been, always will be. We never know how life’s path will turn out and it seems that Bo’s path now finds him living in the Kansas City area with his new wife! Are you nuts?! There is no way I would ever do that, could ever do that, but bless his heart, Bo is doing it! Bo and I have an extreme dislike for the Chiefs and some of their fans because we have spent the majority of our lives saturated with the Chiefs and their fans just because of where our parents decided to raise us. Now, the whole anti-Chief thing has probably been magnified since we are fans of the Broncos and Raiders – arch-rivals of the Chiefs. Do I think the Raiders can beat the Chiefs two times in the same season? No, but that is not going to stop be from cheering them on, and hoping that my nephew Bo will have the last laugh this offseason because his Raiders will have swept the Chiefs. The Raiders did beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-13 last week and the Chiefs are in the midst of a three game losing streak so a Raiders victory is possible, albeit the chances are slim. Let’s just hope the Raiders that beat the Chiefs 24-20 in week twelve show up and not the Raiders that were blanked 52-0 in week thirteen at St. Louis.
My nephew is a die-hard Raiders fan who lives in the KC area!
Go Broncos – beat the Chargers!
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