The AFC West is now a three team race between the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs; each made the playoffs last year. These teams will attempt to repeat their previous success, but there is a lot of football left to play, and quite a bit of competition within the AFC as a whole.
Here’s a look at how the AFC West teams will matchup this week.
New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 1:05 pm EST
Head Coach Rex Ryan has announced that Michael Vick will get the start for the Jets this week after, yet another, poor start by Geno Smith where he threw three interceptions on only eight passing attempts. Vick took over for Smith mid-game last week, but wasn’t able to get the offense going as the Jets lost their seventh in a row to the Buffalo Bills 43-23.
The Chiefs on the other hand, have found their rhythm as they improved to 4-3 with their 34-7 victory over the St. Louis Rams last Sunday.Jamaal Charles had a big game with two touchdowns, and Knile Davis returned a kick for a 99 yard touchdown. KC’s defense was able to shut down the Rams following their big win against the Seahawks the week before.
In a tough division, with playoff aspirations, this is a game the Chiefs not only have to win, but dominate. The Jets are basically a mess right now with recurrent quarterback issues and an injured secondary that has struggled all season long. When it comes to the run, the Jets are decent in that regard allowing 3.3 yards per rush attempt; sixth overall in the league. The ground game is an important part of the Chiefs offensive success, led by Charles, who is a big playmaker.
Final Prediction
Jets 17 Chiefs 31
San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins, Sunday, 1:05 pm EST
The Chargers had a big game last week on Thursday Night Football with an opportunity to sit side-by-side with the Denver Broncos in first place of the AFC West. Instead, they lost 35-21 and fell in the standings, they are now 5-3 on the year. San Diego has been bitten by the injury bug, especially in the secondary. While Jason Verrett was able to play last week, Brandon Flowers was not, which ailed this Chargers team that has now lost two in a row.
The 4-3 Dolphins are an interesting team to keep an eye on in the AFC East. They have had a few big wins this year, and Ryan Tannehill has been impressive ever since the rumor of a possible quarterback switch before Week 4. Last week they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-13 and took advantage of two pick sixes thrown by rookie Blake Bortles.
This matchup will be an interesting one as the Dolphins are playing well, and the Chargers are struggling after losing two in a row. While the Chargers are struggling on the injury front, they need this win to keep pace in the AFC West, and to continue to have playoff hopes for this year. Philip Rivers is the leader on this team and has put up great numbers alongside Antonio Gates through the first eight weeks of the season. The Dolphins have defended the passing game well as they are ranked second-best in the league, so it will be interesting to see how efficient the Chargers offense is this Sunday.
Final Prediction
Chargers 27 Dolphins 23
Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks, Sunday 4:05 pm EST
The Raiders remain winless at 0-7 and are riding a 13 game losing streak dating back to last November. Last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns seemed to be their best chance at a win this season, as the remainder of their 2014 schedule features some of the best teams in the league. Derek Carr threw 54 times against Cleveland, while Darren McFadden only had 12 carries; a stat that will leave most people scratching their head considering the Browns have one of the worst run defenses in the league. A silver lining for the Raiders, however, is rookie Khalil Mack, who is a defensive force on the field, and while he is still looking to collect his first career sack, he has come close on several occasions.
While the Raiders struggles have been more than evident this season, the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks have had their share of challenges this year as well. Seattle is 4-3 after a 23-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Luke Wilson with 47 seconds left to give the Seahawks a 13-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers. With their win last week, their two game losing streak was snapped. This low-scoring matchup comes as a bit of a surprise considering the Panthers defense had allowed at least 37 points in four of their last five games. After trading Percy Harvin, there has been a lot of talk about locker room dysfunction amongst the Seahawks, and they will look to put an end to those rumors with a big game against the Raiders at home.
The Oakland Raiders are struggling in every aspect of the game, and playing in a tough road environment at CenturyLink will just add to their woes. While Carr has repeatedly shown he isn’t afraid to throw in the direction of some of the best corners in the game, Richard Sherman and company will look to take advantage of his rookie status and throw him off. The Seahawks also have one of the better rushing defenses in the league, only allowing 627 rush yards for an average of 89.6 yards per game. McFadden is averaging only four yards a carry, and while the Raiders want to get Maurice Jones-Drew more involved, he’s off to a slow start. Although the Seahawks are struggling and have shown they aren’t invincible at home, after losing to the Rams in Seattle, this will be a very difficult game for the silver and black.
Final Prediction
Raiders 16 Seahawks 27
Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, Sunday, 4:25pm EST
Denver leads this division, as expected, behind another career year by Peyton Manning and company. The Broncos offense is always so dominant, and able to march downfield easily. Last week, they showed the Chargers who runs the West on primetime, Thursday Night Football, with their 35-21 victory. The Broncos improved to 6-1 on the year as Manning took advantage of the Chargers weakened secondary with three touchdown passes and 286 passing yards.
The Patriots, a usually dynamic team, led by Tom Brady have shown trouble at times, but last week, they looked like the Pats of old with a 51-23 win over the Chicago Bears. Brady threw five touchdown passes, three of which to Rob Gronkowski, as they cruised to their sixth win of the season. The Patriots quarterback had one of the best statistical games of his remarkable career going 30/35 with 354 yards.
Manning vs Brady is always an entertaining matchup; two future Hall of Famers battling out on the same field. This particular matchup may be different than years past because Brady doesn’t have as many offensive targets as he did just a few years ago, while Manning has several reliable receivers. Denver’s defense has fared well against the passing game, ranked ninth, which will affect the Patriots offensive schemes and how effective they will be on Sunday. Two first place teams, with two of the best quarterbacks in the game going head-to-head; this is always one of the best matchups of the year.
Final Prediction
Broncos 31 Patriots 26