2013 AFC West Projections

The past two seasons have seen the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego Chargers attempting to keep up with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Will that change in 2013 as these three teams look to unseat the Broncos atop the division?

In 2012, the Denver Broncos rode the wave of momentum that came with the team signing quarterback Peyton Manning that off-season. After starting the season with a record of 2-3, the Broncos rolled off 11 consecutive victories to earn the AFC’s best regular season record. However the Broncos voyage to the playoffs didn’t last that long as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

Manning will once again lead an offense that is expected to be prolific. The Broncos wooed wide receiver Wes Welker away from the New England Patriots to team with wide receivers Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas to give Denver one of the top trios of wide receivers in the National Football League.

The Broncos defense has taken a huge hit from the end of last season until now. First due to miscommunication between the agent of former Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil and the Broncos front office, Dumervil became a free agent and signed with the Ravens. Outside linebacker Von Miller has been suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the season for violating the league’s policy. Miller and Dumervil accounted for 29.5 sacks last season as the Broncos led the NFL in sacks with 52.

The Broncos secondary will be active after the acquisition of safety Quentin Jammer and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to team with cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Rahim Moore.

The Broncos are a team that will be in high demand this season. The Broncos are scheduled to appear in ten high-profile games which is highlighted by starting the season at home against the Ravens. In Week 2 it will be the latest edition of the Manning Bowl as the Broncos will be on the road to face the New York Giants and their quarterback Eli Manning. It is Super Bowl or bust for the Broncos in 2013.

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for a fresh start with their new head coach Andy Reid. Last season, Kansas City was 2-14 which earned them the first overall pick at last spring’s NFL Draft. The Chiefs selected offensive tackle Eric Fisher as Reid is looking to make the Chiefs a contender once more in the AFC. Reid then acquired quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers to lead this team in 2013.

Reid is taking over a team that is coming off of an horrific season, but he will have talented players to work with as Kansas City had six Pro Bowlers on their squad last season. Running back Jamaal Charles rushed for 1,509 yards last season while wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is due for a breakout season if he can finally have a quarterback that can get him the football.

The Chiefs should have the best group of linebackers in the division. Outside linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali have proven to be a formiddable duo of pass rushers while inside linebacker Derrick Johnson now has a tag-team partner on the interior with rookie linebacker Nico Johnson.

The Chiefs will open the season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the game that will be circled takes place in Week 3 when Reid will lead the Chiefs on the road to take on his former team in the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid will build a winner in Kansas City and this team will be a thorn in the side of contenders for the entire season.

In 2009, the San Diego Chargers were 13-3 and since then they have been a mediocre football team as they have hovered around .500. With that Chargers owner Alex Spanos saw enough and he cleaned house. General manager A.J. Smith was replaced by Tom Telesco while head coach Norv Turner was dismissed in favor of Mike McCoy.

McCoy has a quarterback to work with in Philip Rivers. Rivers has become a turnover machine as in the past two seasons he has thrown 35 interceptions; mostly when he is forcing the football into tight spots. Rivers will go the Kurt Warner route this season as he is expected to use gloves when he is throwing the football in order to maintain a better grip.

Fans in San Diego are quickly becoming disgruntled with running back Ryan Matthews. The Chargers used a first round pick on Matthews in 2010 as he was expected to fill a void for the departed LaDanian Tomlinson, but he has not been able to live up to those expectations as injuries and fumbles have hampered his play.

Injuries and age have also begun to slow down 8-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates who is looking to bounce back from a season where he only recorded 49 receptions and 538 yards receiving.

Thank goodness for beautiful weather the 6-1-9 because the folks in San Diego will not have a playoff team to call their own this season.

After posting consecutive 8-8 seasons and teasing their fans, the Oakland Raiders received a reality check last season as they posted a 4-12 record. The Raiders have not enjoyed a winning season since 2002 when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Two reasons for the Raiders struggles is that they have not been able to sustain head coaches or quarterbacks. Since 2002, the Raiders have had seven different head coaches and 15 different starting quarterbacks.

Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is in his second season with Oakland and he has tabbed Terrelle Pryor to be Oakland’s starting quarterback.

The Raiders have speed at the skill positions, but it is just a matter of players staying healthy. Running back Darren McFadden is explosive, but in his five NFL seasons he has yet to make all 16 starts which is the same case for wide receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore.

The Raiders can look forward to hosting the Jaguars in Week 2 as the loser will have the inside track on earning the top overall pick of next year’s NFL Draft.