The Kansas City Chiefs are pulling away in the AFC West as the Las Vegas Raiders stumble. Are Andy Reid and Co. already running away with the division?
Just like that, we are already five weeks into the NFL season. We now know a fair amount about these teams. Let’s take a look at how the AFC West stacks up at this point.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
Trending: Steady
This team stinks. The Chargers are now 0-5, and what was thought to be a slow start to the season has turned into a full-blown dumpster fire. They cannot seem to stop finding ways to lose, either. Los Angeles had the lead through three quarters before getting outscored by Denver 13-0 in the final 15 minutes. The fourth quarter has been a killer for the Bolts all season, as opponents have outscored them 36-13 in the period. At this point, someone has to get fired.
That someone might be Mike McDaniel. He was supposed to recharge an offense that stagnated under Greg Roman. Instead, he has turned a mediocre unit into one of the worst in the league. The Chargers rank in the bottom 10 in offensive yards per game and the bottom three in points per game. That doesn’t even tell the whole story, though. They are by far the worst team in the league in offensive EPA per play. Jim Harbaugh needs to change something soon, or it might be his head that rolls.
On to the team that beat the Chargers this past weekend.
3. Denver Broncos
Trending: Steady
The Broncos notched another win, yet they failed to alleviate any of our concerns about this team. As always, Denver floundered for most of the game before backdooring its way to an undeserved win at the last minute. This can’t keep working, right? Right?!
The big thing the Broncos have to figure out is how to get Bo Nix playing consistent football. So far this year, he has completed less than 60% of his passes. A big part of that is his first-half struggles. Nix seems to have trouble seeing the field early in games. Then Sean Payton simplifies the offense, and Nix is able to play well enough to get things moving. That only works so well, and Denver should expect to struggle against Seattle this week.
Nevertheless, the Broncos might be closing in on the next team in our rankings by default.
Related: Should the Raiders trade for Quenton Nelson right now?
2. Las Vegas Raiders
Trending: Down
Perhaps that 3-0 start was a fluke after all. We now know the Dolphins, Chargers and Saints are all terrible, and maybe the Raiders are just slightly less so. They looked rough against the Patriots. Las Vegas might not be bad, but it seems like a team the league has figured out.
For example, opponents have figured out that Kirk Cousins can no longer move or throw the ball deep down the field. That has led the offense to devolve into Brock Bowers hero ball. Defensively, it turns out that starting two rookies and three league-average veterans in the secondary is not a recipe for success. The Raiders have been getting torched on deep passes over the last two weeks, and unless something changes in a hurry, that is likely to continue with Josh Allen and the Bills coming to town.
Finally, there was at least one bright spot. It turns out you can pick up a win during a bye week.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Trending: Steady
Despite having the week off, the Chiefs continued to pull away from the rest of the division, mostly because of the poor showings by the other three teams in the AFC West. Nevertheless, this looks like Kansas City’s division to lose.
Up next, the Chiefs should dismantle the Chargers this coming week. If the Broncos and Raiders are unable to upset the Seahawks and Bills, respectively, the Chiefs might already have this thing sewn up. Those results would put them three games ahead, plus give them a head-to-head advantage over both Denver and Las Vegas. What looked like a heated battle for the division crown might be a foregone conclusion by Thanksgiving.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images