NFL AFC West Breakdown


The AFC West is another one of those conferences with a lot of great teams and whenever they get together you can't help but turn on your television and watch a great game of football. Last season three of their teams made the AFC playoffs. We all remember the pitiful Super Bowl performance by the Denver Broncos, Kansas City's surprising playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego's season turn around getting them into the playoffs, and the Raiders continued latest tradition of terrible teams and washed up draft picks.

In the ever changing National Football League you never know if a team will go from worst to first or first to worst. There are so many little things that can change the entire outcome of a team's season: injuries, suspensions, and players not performing to expectations. Read our breakdown of the AFC West and let us know which team you think will win. 

Denver Broncos: It's very hard to root against a team that has arguably the best Quarterback of all time.  They lost Eric Decker and Knowshon Moreno. I don't believe Emmanuel Sanders is the same player Eric Decker is but he will have Peyton Manning throwing to him, I expect his numbers to go up and help this offense. I really like the talent they added to their defense. DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, and Aqib Talib are excellent additions. This team took a hit on offense but they got better overall as a team. I expect them to have another great year going 12-4 and winning the AFC West division. 

Kansas City Chiefs: After a disappointing end to their 2013 season and even more disappointing playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts, this Chiefs team needs to get back to the way they were playing football when they started 2013 with a 9-0 run. They didn't really make any changes this offseason, as their players are healthy and they should be able to win some games. Alex Smith and Dwayne Bowe are sure to have a great year together. I like Alex Smith as their quarterback and if this offensive line can protect him, expect some big numbers. Expect them to go 10-6, and with that record they should be able to grab a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Oakland Raiders: You can't help but feel bad for the Raiders. With Al Davis gone they keep trying to sign talented athletes, coaches, etc, unfortunately despite their efforts nothing seems to be working for them. I really liked their pick-up of Matt Schaub and Maurice Jones-Drew. These players will add more weapons to this offense and make play calling easier for this coaching staff. Look for their defense to get better as well. Despite that this team has to play in one of the toughest divisions with the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers, it's a safe bet to say they will not make the playoffs. With their schedule I predict they will go 6-10.

San Diego Chargers: I really like this Chargers team and believe they can be a good playoff team. There are still a lot of questions for this team however. This offensive squad has had some rough times but last year they seemed to turn that around and put some points on the board. I expect them to keep up that intensity as they didn't lose much talent on that side of the ball. This defense should be getting better as these younger guys have had time to develop and get healthy. The question for their defense is how will Dwight Freeney play? He's 34 years old and nearing the end of his career. I liked him in Indianapolis with the Colts and I believe he will play well for the Chargers. The way their schedule is laid out I expect them to go 9-7 and they should have a shot at the playoffs with that record.

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