Football fans, the season is finally here, as the regular season kicks off on Thursday Night with a great rematch.  As week one approaches, the AFC West teams will have some interesting matchups.  Here’s a look at the AFC West games for this week. 

The season will kick off on Thursday Night Football as the defending AFC West Champion Denver Broncos host the defending Superbowl Champion Baltimore Ravens in a playoff rematch.  The revamped Denver offense led by Peyton Manning and company will look to take advantage of a Ravens defense that will be missing a key piece to their success in Ray Lewis.  Wes Welker will make his regular season debut with the Broncos, and should have an immediate impact on the offense.  Superbowl MVP Joe Flacco will have a difficult task facing the Denver defense, although they will be missing an important piece in Von Miller due to suspension; so, the Ravens catch a break in that regard.  This should be a close game, but an exciting one to watch. 

The Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars, in what should be an interesting game.  The Jaguars are expected to be one of, if not the worst, team in the NFL this season.  On the other hand, there’s the Chiefs who welcome a new coach in Andy Reid as well as a new quarterback in Alex Smith.  The Chiefs are somewhat unknown for this year and it’s a toss up whether they’ll be able to surprise a few people, or continue their downward spiral that was last year.  Regardless of how the Chiefs perform the rest of the season, this should be a win for them.

The Oakland Raiders open the season in Indianapolis as they face Andrew Luck and the Colts.  The Colts were a playoff team last year, and the Raiders have a very difficult task at hand.  Terrelle Pryor was named the Raiders starting quarterback which gives the Raiders offense more options with the pistol offense.  Darren McFadden will be good to go for Sunday’s game and with him, Pryor, and Marcel Reece the Raiders offense has some options.  The Raiders defense has had some issues and will be busy trying to stop the dangerous Luck.  Oakland will see a familiar face in Darrius Heyward-Bey and will have to work hard to cover him.  This game could get out of hand for the Raiders quickly, but we have yet to really see Pryor and that Raiders offense work together, so that is something to look for in this game.

The San Diego Chargers will host the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.  The Texans were also a playoff team last year and have one of the league's best defenses so, that Chargers offensive line will have their work cut out for them as they try to hold off J.J. Watt and company.  Philip Rivers has a lot to prove this year as he has shown a decline in performance over the seasons and this is a big stage for him to do so.  The Texans are a solid team with a good offense and an even better defense.  The Chargers are another team with little expectations for this season, and they will struggle against the Texans this week.  

Overall, the AFC West teams will have some tough matchups to start off the season, but this is the first chance to see the changes within the teams and how those changes play out on the field.  Football is back, enjoy week one!