2014 AFC West Projections

X-Denver Broncos 11-5

The Denver Broncos enter the 2014 National Football League season looking to avoid the dreaded “Super Bowl hangover”. Since 1999, only seven teams that lost the previous season’s Super Bowl were able to come back the next season and qualify for the playoffs. And after a 43-8 drubbing at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks this past February, the Broncos are itching to get that bad taste out of their mouths.

First and foremost the Broncos still have Peyton Manning as their starting quarterback which helps and then some. Manning is coming off of a season in which he led the NFL in completions (450), passing yards (5,477), and touchdown passes (55). Manning is 38-years of age and their is some concern about the zip that he has on his passes, but he can still get the job done.

The Broncos will be able to pass the football at will this year, but it will come down to their running game and the fact that Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman must develop good ball security.

The Denver defense was exposed in their Super Bowl loss, but Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway was busy in the off-season as he signed defensive end DeMarcus Ware and cornerback Aqib Talib. In nine NFL seasons, Ware has accumulated 117 career sacks and he will team with outside linebacker Von Miller who is returning from an ACL injury to bring back the “Orange Crush”. Talib can be one of the best shutdown corners in the league, but it will just be a matter of him staying healthy.

The Broncos will be without kicker Matt Prater for the first four games of the season as he was suspended by the league, but it won’t hurt as much as long as Denver and Manning continue to score touchdowns at will.

The Broncos will more than likely make the postseason, but this team will solely be judged by what they do in the month of January.

Y-San Diego Chargers 10-6

In their first season under head coach Mike McCoy, the San Diego Chargers made the postseason for the first time since 2009 and they won their first playoff game since 2008. Now the Chargers enter this season looking for bigger and better things.

McCoy has found a way to make a good quarterback in Philip Rivers even better. Last season Rivers completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and if the Chargers have a good season he’ll be a logical National Football League MVP candidate.

Unlike in years past, the Chargers will have depth at the running back position this season. Chargers running back Ryan Mathews is coming off of his best season as a professional as he appeared in all 16 games for the first time in his career. But in case Mathews is unable to answer the bell this season, the Chargers will look to veteran scat back Danny Woodhead and rookie running back Marion Grice.

Last year as a rookie for the Chargers, wide receiver Keenan Allen emerged as a stud receiver for Rivers as he gained over 1,000 yards. This season along with a healthy Malcolm Floyd, the Chargers have two big, physical receivers that will give defensive backs nightmares. Rookie wide receiver Tevin Reese could be a sleeper in fantasy football as he brings plenty of speed to the table along with being a guy that can move the chains on third down.

Led by offensive tackles D.J. Fluker and King Dunlap, the Chargers will have one of the biggest and most physical offensive lines in the NFL and their offense will benefit exponentially from it.

Under defensive coordinator John Pagano, the Chargers defense has the ability to be scary good. Nose tackle Ryan Carrethers was a fifth round pick this past spring at the NFL Draft and at 6’5″, 333 lbs., he will be tough to move on the interior of the Chargers defensive line. Linebackers Manti Te’o, Dwight Freeney, Melvin Ingram, and Jeremiah Attaochu are strong and versatile and they’ll make life difficult for opposing offenses while free safety Eric Weddle is one of the best in the business.

Under head coach Mike McCoy, the Chargers were a surprise entry in the playoffs last season, but in 2014 San Diego has visions of winning the Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs 8-8

In his first year as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid turned around a team that went 2-14 in 2012 into a playoff team in 2013. In spite of this there is still plenty of room for Reid and the Chiefs to improve on in 2014, but it will be tough.

Last season the Chiefs had one of the easiest schedules in the National Football League as they only defeated one team that had a winning record. Heading into 2014 everyone has seen the Chiefs act and they will be ready for it.

In his first season as the Chiefs starting quarterback, Alex Smith went 11-4, but he is not a signal caller that puts the fear of God into opponents. The catalyst for the Chiefs offense is running back Jamaal Charles who will once again be Mr. All-Purpose in Kansas City.

Last season the Chiefs had the 24th ranked defense in the NFL and for this unit to improve the combination of outside linebackers Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, and rookie Dee Ford must put a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

It will be tougher for the Chiefs to get off to a quick start. In Week 2 the Chiefs will be on the road against the defending AFC Champion Denver Broncos. In Week 4 Kansas City will host the New England Patriots and in Week 5 they’ll be on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. This season could bring a reality check for Reid and the Chiefs.

Oakland Raiders 6-10

The drought continues for the Oakland Raiders as this once proud organization has not had a winning season since 2002. This season the Raiders are guaranteed that they will have their third different starting quarterback in as many seasons. Since the Raiders made the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 season, they have had seven different head coaches and 16 different starting quarterbacks.

Dennis Allen is entering his second year as Raiders head coach while it appears that it will either be veteran quarterback Matt Schaub or rookie quarterback Derek Carr who will be his starting quarterback this season in Oakland. Schaub has had an up and down career which was highlighted by two Pro Bowl appearances while also leading the leading the NFL in passing yardage in 2009 with 4,770 passing yards. The low lights for Schaub also include his horrific season in 2013 for the Houston Texans where he threw 14 interceptions in just eight games. The Raiders selected Carr this past spring in the second round of the NFL Draft out of Fresno State University. Carr has a very strong arm which fits in Oakland as the Raiders organization historically loves to throw the football deep.

The Raiders have veteran running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden who have both had problems staying healthy in the National Football League, but what will they be able to do in 2014?

In the off-season, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie went the veteran route to improve the defense as he signed defensive end Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley. Both Tuck and Woodley come to Oakland as Super Bowl Champions as Tuck won a pair of titles with the New York Giants while Woodley claimed a championship with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Raiders are hopeful that their championship experience will rub off in the locker room. The Raiders used their first round selection on outside linebacker Khalil Mack who is a play maker and he could be in the running to be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

A pair of trips to the East Coast in the first three weeks of the season will be tough for the Raiders as they’ll face the New York Jets and New England Patriots, but as the season goes on this team should improve.

X-Clinched Division

Y-Clinched Wild Card

Source: Pro-football-reference.com