The AFC West takes over from the NFC West as the worst division in
football. That said, the AFC West remains strong at the top with the
Chargers being a championship contender. The division drops off
dramatically from there with the Broncos being a middle of the pack
team, the Chiefs in major rebuilding mode, and the Raiders
are...well the Raiders.
The Chargers are by far the most complete and balanced team in the
AFC West. That doesnt mean there aren't many questions, health being
the chief concern. Philip Rivers health is in question although he
appears to be recovered from offseason knee surgery, however more
important is the health of Shawne Merriman who has said everything
from his career being in danger, to he is going to play out the year
this year. Ladainian Tomlinson returns as the
anchor of the offense, and they have arguably the best TE in the
league in Antonio Gates and have added Chris Chambers as a threat.
So the offense should remain prolific. The big question is what if
they do lose defensive superstar Merriman...more
The Broncos have a bunch of holes and failed to address many of them in the
off-season. The defense cant deal with rushing attacks and with 6 games against
the likes of Larry Johnson, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Darren McFadden just within
the division this will remain an Achilles heel for the Broncos....more
The Chiefs spent almost a decade as a team to fear every year. That era is
officially over following last years 9 straight losses to end the season. This
team is now in the midst of a major rebuilding project...more
The Raiders have some things to be excited about. With JaMarcus
Russell at quarterback from day one and Darren McFadden who many
thought should have been the number one pick, they should be able to
run easily, with Justin Fargas also in the backfield. The problem is
everyone can run on them too and throw whenever they want as well.
Don't let the statistics fool you. The Raiders defense can't stop
anyone, no one threw because they could run all over the Raiders,
not because of the vaunted cornerback duo of Nnamdi Asomugha and
Fabian Washington...more
