After ten weeks of play, the AFC West picture is becoming more and more clear. The Broncos have run their winning streak to seven, and remain in the mix for the AFC's bye after entering Sunday as the top seed in the conference. Considering their injuries, Denver will welcome their mini-bye after winning on Thursday Night Football.
Across the rest of the AFC West, the Raiders were the latest victim of Denver's winning streak. One game after turning in an all-time receiving performance, tight end Brock Bowers recorded just one reception in Denver. Geno Smith tried to gut through an injury, but was ultimately unable to do much with his chances on Thursday. He was sacked six times, which didn't help his injury issues.
With the Kansas City Chiefs on the bye, the Chargers were the lone AFC West team to play on Sunday. After losing Joe Alt for the season and trading for Trevor Penner from the Saints, all eyes were on the Los Angeles offensive line in their matchup against the Steelers on Sunday night. Los Angeles pulled away after an ugly first half, giving them another conference win on the season.
AFC West Power Rankings, Week 11: Broncos remain on top, Chiefs remain closest behind Denver
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are fairly helpless at this point in the season, but they've lost two games in a row that they could have won. Las Vegas sits at 2-7, but were four points removed from 4-5 and are back in the AFC playoff picture. They fired special teams coach Tom McMahon after JL Skinner's blocked punt, but it likely won't change much. Mock draft season in Las Vegas is in full swing.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs were on the bye this week, and only a Chargers blowout loss could have changed their ranking here. They were handled fairly easily by the Bils before their bye week, and will enter Denver at just 5-4. For the Chiefs, this could make Week 11 a must-win for Kansas City. With a loss, they might be too far behind Denver to have hopes in the division.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are having one of the more Chargers-y seasons in recent memory. After starting 3-0, they've come back to reality to a good deal, but remain in the AFC West hunt. Playing without both of their starting tackles for the rest of the season will be rough, but they expect healthier running backs in the near future. After their victory against the Steelers on Sunday night, they match up with the Jaguars in Jacksonville next week.
1. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are piling up the ugly wins, but they all count the same in the win column. Denver sits at 8-2, has a large enough lead on the AFC West, and will get ten days off between their win over the Raiders and their matchup against the Chiefs. They'll need to be sure to not let the Chiefs play with more energy and edge than them, as a win could shrink the AFC West race to a two-team battle over the final month and a half.