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Denver Broncos: Recapping the AFC West after the first quarter

By Mason Yellico

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs after a 27-23 Chiefs win over the Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 1: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs after a 27-23 Chiefs win over the Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 1: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs after a 27-23 Chiefs win over the Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 1: Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs after a 27-23 Chiefs win over the Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on October 1, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

After the first quarter of the season, the AFC West looks like one of the more talented divisions in the NFL. Let’s take a look at how each team has fared.

Believe it or not, 25 percent of the NFL’s regular season is already in the books and the AFC West is starting to take shape. Kansas City currently holds a two-game lead over both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers and is three games ahead of the Oakland Raiders.

A lot can happen the rest of the way, but as of right now it seems Kansas City is a clear favorite to take the division title.

One thing we know for sure is that there hasn’t been and never will be a lack of storylines to follow in the always competitive AFC West. After the first quarter of the season, a couple have stood out from each team.

The Denver Broncos have been led on offense by a promising tandem of rookie running backs, an improved offensive line, and defensively, one of the best sets of pass rushers in the league. But if they want to make it to the playoffs they are going to need to get a lot more out of Case Keenum.

Under the veteran leadership of Philip Rivers and offensive force that is Melvin Gordon, the Los Angeles Chargers are still one of the better teams in the NFL. Missing Joey Bosa has no doubt limited what they can do defensively, so they need him back as soon as they can get him.

The Oakland Raiders are second in the league in total offense behind Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, and an underrated group of receiving threats. But their strong offense has been hindered by untimely turnovers and bad defense.

And to round out the division, the offensive juggernaut in Kansas City is led by the NFL’s newest star in Patrick Mahomes. Although nobody has been able to stop them, they haven’t had much success on the other side of the ball. That will have to change if they want to finally make some noise in the postseason.

There was a time not long ago when the AFC West was known for its defense, but that trend seems to be over. After the first four games, the division is home to some of the best offenses the NFL has to offer.

Each of the four teams has what it takes to compete with any team in the NFL on any given day.