State of the AFC West – Midseason Report

The 2007 AFC West has been disappointing to say the least. The three teams at the top all had hopes of challenging for the division title, and none can call themselves a winning football team at the halfway point of 2007 (hell, twice this season, including last week, all 4 teams in the West have lost all their respective games).

It’s the worst division in the AFC this year, surprising as it is, because the teams aren’t playing consistent. Any given week, the Broncos are beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chargers are pulling off 3 in a row, and the Chiefs are winning games against the Chargers in San Diego and the explosive Cincinnati Bengals. Look twice and every team is losing to the likes of the Packers and Jaguars. The Raiders looked good for a few weeks, but have since slided back into mediocrity… it’s a weird division in its inconsistency.

This week is huge for two teams in particular in the AFC West — the Broncos and Chiefs. The Chargers are facing the Colts this week, and while they could shock Indy and pull the upset, I fully expect Peyton Manning and company to bounce back and take care business. With that in mind, the winner between Broncos-Chiefs will have the AFC West by the horns.

Oakland Raiders (2-6) – They came out of their bye with sole possession of the AFC West and haven’t won a game since. Now they sit at the bottom (where they belong). They’ve been shuffling quarterbacks all season between Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see rookie JaMarcus Russell taking snaps soon. Next 4 Games – CHI, @MIN, @KC, DEN

Denver Broncos (3-5) – After starting 2-0 the Broncos have lost 5 of their last 6, and none of their wins have come by more than 3 points. I expected them to win against the Packers and beat the Lions the past two weeks – had they done that they’d be the frontrunners for the division. With a plethora of injuries and personnel and coaching changes, this team isn’t looking as good on the field as they did on paper in August. Next 4 Games – @KC, TEN, @CHI, @OAK

San Diego Chargers (4-4) – Everyone thought the Chargers were back, and then Adrian Peterson ran for more yards than anyone ever has against anyone last week. It’s not just the coaches, though — Philip Rivers isn’t playing well; Ladainian Tomlinson is having a career-low season; even LT Marcus McNeil is struggling after his stellar rookie season last year. Injuries have been biting them a bit too, especially on their offensive and defensive lines and at linebacker. The players like to break their season into four quarters – as you can see, their next quartet of games is brutal. Next 4 Games – IND, @JAC, BAL, @KC

Kansas City Chiefs (4-4) – Your current division leaders are the team I predicted to rank 4th this season. The key behind it is their defense, particular their front seven. Jared Allen, AKA SuperMullet, is terrorizing opponents left and right, and Tamba Hali is having a great year again too. Next 4 Games – DEN, @IND, OAK, SD