AFC West Roundup

[cdumler7]

Raiders should take it, that much I'm certain of. If the Broncos do their part it'll set up a great showdown next week. Raiders fans are convinced they are going to run over the Broncos in Denver. There's been a lot of talk that last years win in Denver was solely because Carr was out. Impossible to prove but Raiders fans can be impossible to reason with in a logical manner so there's that.

I'm sure even if we did beat them that somehow the NFL is rigged and the officials handed us the game. The idea that the Broncos can beat them straight up is hard for some of them as the Raiders can truly do no wrong. I do think they are a good team but very much a beatable team. I think that defense is not great and can be exposed by a balanced team like the Broncos. The matchup though that I am excited to see is Lynch vs. our Front-7.

 

[iknowftbll]

I'm sure even if we did beat them that somehow the NFL is rigged and the officials handed us the game. The idea that the Broncos can beat them straight up is hard for some of them as the Raiders can truly do no wrong. I do think they are a good team but very much a beatable team. I think that defense is not great and can be exposed by a balanced team like the Broncos. The matchup though that I am excited to see is Lynch vs. our Front-7.

Yeah I recall after a 7-9 season they were predicting AT LEAST 3 Super Bowl wins in th next 7 seasons. Well, 1 down and 6 to go with nothing yet to show for it but getting run over by the worst offense in the playoffs in the past 30 seasons of football!

"Oh but Carr was out for that playoff game!" Yeah, but the Texans were averaging 17 PPG last year and hung 27 on that Raiders defense. Carr doesn't play defense! Their defense looked good against the Titans but the Titans didn't do themselves any favors with their playcalling. Then the Raiders surrendered 20 points to the Jets at home. They have a long way to go on defense and between that and their HC I don't see why so many people are counting them as SB contenders this year. Hype I guess.

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah I recall after a 7-9 season they were predicting AT LEAST 3 Super Bowl wins in th next 7 seasons. Well, 1 down and 6 to go with nothing yet to show for it but getting run over by the worst offense in the playoffs in the past 30 seasons of football!

"Oh but Carr was out for that playoff game!" Yeah, but the Texans were averaging 17 PPG last year and hung 27 on that Raiders defense. Carr doesn't play defense! Their defense looked good against the Titans but the Titans didn't do themselves any favors with their playcalling. Then the Raiders surrendered 20 points to the Jets at home. They have a long way to go on defense and between that and their HC I don't see why so many people are counting them as SB contenders this year. Hype I guess.

I'm with you on all of this. I have the Chiefs as the best team in the AFC West right now and Broncos #2. I just trust them because it looks like they have better all around teams. Raiders have a great offense but that defense will catch up to them against better teams that can contain the offense and destroy that defense. And yeah Del Rio as a coach I still have him as a bottom half of the league type coach. I just cannot believe in him long-term to get them where they want to go.

 

[58crash]

The league is throwing the Raiders a bone by putting their game with the Redskins in prime time. Raiders are a lock to win that game. The next week the Redskins have the Chiefs in KC on MNF: a lock for the Chiefs to win. Neither of those games are compelling prime time games, so it sucks because the Aside from putting the Raiders and Chiefs in favorable game situations the matchup and rivalry isn't even good.

This was why I asked why are we playing the Cowboys and the Chiefs and raiders playing redskins ..seems a little jacked up to me

 

[Mingo]

I would also agree that the Chiefs are playing the best football in the division. I will quibble on saying "Best Team" because I think both teams (Chiefs and Raiders) have more potential for degrading over a season of play - by scouting and injury - than the Broncos - who have better roster depth and an improving QB and awakening offense. Certainly, if the Broncos get to scoring 4 tds a game - with this defense - the should be good to - at least the - Conference Championship.

 

[cdumler7]

I would also agree that the Chiefs are playing the best football in the division. I will quibble on saying "Best Team" because I think both teams (Chiefs and Raiders) have more potential for degrading over a season of play - by scouting and injury - than the Broncos - who have better roster depth and an improving QB and awakening offense. Certainly, if the Broncos get to scoring 4 tds a game - with this defense - the should be good to - at least the - Conference Championship.

If the Broncos are scoring 28 points every game I have a hard time seeing them going anything less than 15-1. The defense would have games playing right into the strength of the team with pass rush and secondary getting lots of opportunities. The question for the Broncos is can they keep this pace up on offense? 28 points a game would put them 3rd last year ahead of the Patriots for points scored per game. I like what I am seeing from the offense but not sure I"m ready to call them a top-5 unit by any means.

 

[Mingo]

If the Broncos are scoring 28 points every game I have a hard time seeing them going anything less than 15-1. The defense would have games playing right into the strength of the team with pass rush and secondary getting lots of opportunities. The question for the Broncos is can they keep this pace up on offense? 28 points a game would put them 3rd last year ahead of the Patriots for points scored per game. I like what I am seeing from the offense but not sure I"m ready to call them a top-5 unit by any means.

Well there is a difference from the Broncos having the potential of 4 tds a game - and actually being one. What I like - as Siemian gains confidence - this offense will get better. Good offense feeds on itself.

 

[cdumler7]

Well there is a difference from the Broncos having the potential of 4 tds a game - and actually being one. What I like - as Siemian gains confidence - this offense will get better. Good offense feeds on itself.

True. I'm hoping our offense can get to that level and I do think they have the potential. This OL has gotten into sync a lot faster than I thought they would and they have some real drive you into the ground and laugh over the top of you type guys.

You should listen to the interview today from Bolles when the media asked him if teammates made fun of him after his injury wasn't as serious as he thought it was on the field. I really thought he was going to jump off the stage and beat the crap out of the reporter. He held it together and just talked about all the guys having his back and just being worried for him because they care. And then if Anderson, Booker, and Charles can stay healthy I really do think this can be a Super Bowl contender. Lots of season left obviously and lots of things can change in a hurry but they have shown much better than I thought at the beginning of the season.

 

[iknowftbll]

28 ppg would be awesome. Thing is as long as it doesn't deviate a lot. I'd rather see this team score 27-28 every week than 35 one week and 7 the next. Honestly most weeks I think 27 will be enough for this team to win. Even a good offense is going to have to have a great game against this defense and even if they do they're going to need their defense to be able to contain the Broncos offense.

It's early but this team looks leaps and bounds better than the Broncos last year, even when the team was 4-0 last year.

 

[CEH]

Chiefs still look like the class of division. Smith is actually a play maker this year just not a game manager 11 years in and they have red zone options and speed to kill.

 

[cdumler7]

Chiefs still look like the class of division. Smith is actually a play maker this year just not a game manager 11 years in and they have red zone options and speed to kill.

I would say they have some of the more unique playmakers in the game. Have to game plan against them different than any other team. I will say though the new mixed in plays with all the option plays they run teams will figure out better ways as the season progresses at stopping those. That style of offense can get you only so far in this league.

You are right though they are the class of the AFC West right now. I do remember though them starting 9-0 not too long ago to only then go 2-5 the rest of the year.

 

[CEH]

I would say they have some of the more unique playmakers in the game. Have to game plan against them different than any other team. I will say though the new mixed in plays with all the option plays they run teams will figure out better ways as the season progresses at stopping those. That style of offense can get you only so far in this league.

You are right though they are the class of the AFC West right now. I do remember though them starting 9-0 not too long ago to only then go 2-5 the rest of the year.

Good news

For fifth time in Super-Bowl era, Chiefs are last unbeaten team of the season. In four previous instances, they did not win a playoff game.

 

[iknowftbll]

I wasn't a believer in the Raiders coming into this season and it's going about how I'd have guessed. And before anyone says, "yeah but losing Carr..." keep in mind that the Redskins and Broncos had him shut down before his departure. The collapse came before they lost him.

Now they're 2-3 and while there is definitely time to recover, I doubt the team has the mental makeup for it. This is a JDR coached team, after all.

 

[CEH]

Once again the NFL proves that the coaches are some of the dumbest ppl. You have a way to control the game yet you have your punter punt to Hill and lose by 8. Just don't understand why you allow the faster football player on the planet right now to beat you.

The NFL is kinda of dumpster fire right now with all the politics, bad coaching, crappy kicking.

Jerry Jones is a hypocrite kneeling with the players one week and now mandating standing which can't be enforced anyway.

 

[Clayton]

Once again the NFL proves that the coaches are some of the dumbest ppl. You have a way to control the game yet you have your punter punt to Hill and lose by 8. Just don't understand why you allow the faster football player on the planet right now to beat you.

The NFL is kinda of dumpster fire right now with all the politics, bad coaching, crappy kicking.

Jerry Jones is a hypocrite kneeling with the players one week and now mandating standing which can't be enforced anyway.

Texans defense was missing its 2 best players and didnt really stop the Chiefs all game even on some crazy 3rd and long situations. Even if the Chiefs dont get the kickoff return, its probable that they drive down, run some clock and do some damage.

That said, the Texans special teams has been a problem for them for a long time. You'd figure they would get that down at some point. The NFL actually has historically good kicking right now as far as I can tell.

The politics stink, though. People protesting about things not having anything to do with football and not engaging in the other side in any meaningful way.

 

[iknowftbll]

Yeah the Texans had no answer for the Chiefs on defense. That was an impressive showing by the Chiefs offense. Their defense is solid too but I wonder if that "bend don't break" approach is going to haunt them at some point. They definitely have all the pieces on D and look to have the most complete team in recent memory, though.

Going back to the Raiders, their next up is the 1-4 Chargers. That's a home game for the Raiders followed by a TNF game with the Chiefs. From their it's back to back roadies @ Bills and @ Dolphins before they settle in for their bye week. I am not saying they go 0-4 in that stretch, but with the way they've looked in the last 3 weeks you can't legitimately believe they're a lock to win a single one of those. A 2-2 record in this stretch prolonges their season, though it is still an uphill battle for them on the back side of the bye week. They have fans already talking about tanking the rest of the way. And that's after an off season of being a Super Bowl favorite by many in sports media.

 

[CEH]

I have never understood mack over Miller
Von is a freak and game changer

 

[cdumler7]

I was with you IKF in saying the Raiders were an overrated team. They had a ton of holes on that defense and I was not a believer in Lynch being a huge part of their offense. So far he is averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Not good. They have struggled to both stop the run and run the football which last year at least they could run the football with quite a bit of success. And with the run game struggling then that means the pass game has taken a hit as well. Throw in then Amari Cooper looking like a guy that doens't even belong on an NFL roster and you have a team that is lucky to be 2-3 right now.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Count me among the guys who thought the Raiders were overrated as well. Those one score games were going to even out eventually and that defense is still atrocious by all indications. MAJOR whiff on the Broncos and Chargers for me thus far, however.

 

[SpringStein]

Count me among the guys who thought the Raiders were overrated as well. Those one score games were going to even out eventually and that defense is still atrocious by all indications. MAJOR whiff on the Broncos and Chargers for me thus far, however.

Congrats on the Chiefs 5-0 start.