Well, here we are. We’re t weeks into the season, and every team in the division has at least five wins; first and last place are separated by one win. Essentially, this division is much up for grabs. A lot has changed in the past week or two, and it’s time to look at where the four teams, especially the Las Vegas Raiders, rank amongst each other.
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
Well, it appears that the Chiefs are back. Although they hadn’t had an impressive win until Sunday night against the Raiders, they now sit in first place all alone at 6-4.
In recent weeks they had squeaked out wins against the lowly Giants and the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers. Those didn’t exactly inspire much hope around the league, but Patrick Mahomes and Co. put those thoughts to doubt last week.
It could be that the Chiefs aren’t back at all, and the Raiders are instead showing their true colors. Regardless, the 400-yard performance from Mahomes and the defense holding a team to just 14 points is impressive. For now, Kansas City is number one.
No. 2 Los Angeles Chargers (5-4)
The Chargers have been sliding down a slippery slope for a couple of weeks now. Luckily for them, the two teams behind them have done the same thing.
There was a time when the Chargers held both a 4-1 record and the first place spot in the division. Since then, they almost lost to a struggling Eagles squad and then did lose to the Patriots, Vikings, and Ravens.
We thought the Chargers were contenders, but they haven’t done themselves any favors recently, and that debate remains very much up in the air. They still have impressive wins against both the Chiefs and Raiders, so those shouldn’t be disregarded. Still, they have a habit of losing to teams they absolutely should not be losing to if they are contenders. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about this team.
No. 3 Las Vegas Raiders (5-4)
There are a lot of words that can be used to describe this Raiders’ unit this season, and some that fit are unpredictable, interesting, and dramatic. Unfortunately, one that doesn’t fit over the last two weeks; winning.
Winning was a symptom the Raiders carried throughout the first several weeks of the year, and a 5-2 start saw the team near the top of this division, and the conference in general, throughout the year.
Then, we saw a ton of drama go down, and its affected this unit. Two hollow performances against the Giants and Chiefs have shown this team is distracted, and just not all the way there. With the amount of off-the-field issues they’ve faced, it’s hard to believe any other result would happen.
Luckily for Las Vegas, there is a ton of football left to be played. An extra regular-season game and an extra playoff team make it easier for a bubble team like the Raiders to make the playoffs. They can control their destiny, but they need to start controlling it now.
No. 4 Denver Broncos (5-5)
The Broncos can’t seem to decide whether they want to be a contender or a pretender this year.
Denver started the season by pushing the gas pedal to the floor. They jumped out to a 3-0 start, and the contender label was getting thrown around. Then, they dropped four in a row, and that narrative flipped.
It flipped once again after they won two in a row, including an impressive route against the Cowboys in Dallas. Unfortunately, they followed that with a loss to the lowly Eagles. The Broncos had become unpredictable.
The jury remains out on the Broncos at this time. Denver currently sits at 5-5, and while they don’t occupy a playoff spot, they’re just .5 games out of one, and they are right in the middle of a whole group of teams, including the Chargers and Raiders.
[pickup_prop id=”15550″]
*Top Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images