2010 NFL Division Previews: AFC West

The AFC West seems to be the one division in the NFL this year that looks like a runaway. Anything can happen though, lets have a look at the teams trying to get that AFC West crown.

DENVER BRONCOS-

There is lots of hype surrounding Tim Tebow as a Bronco, but to me it doesn't really matter a whole lot. He is not going to start for this season at least. Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback in Denver, and last year he actually had a pretty solid season considering who he had to work with. Last season the Broncos came out of the gates flying and started 6-0, but stumbled down the stretch to miss the playoffs, finishing at 8-8, including losses at home to Oakland in week 15, 20-19, and to the Chiefs in week 17, 44-24, in a game they had to win to have a shot at the playoffs. To me, they overachieved when the season started, and then everybody expected a lot, and they came back to reality at the end of the season. As far as the 2010 season, I don't expect a lot from the Broncos. They have an aging quarterback who was an afterthought when he went to the Broncos a couple years ago, and they lost one of the best wide receivers in the league in Brandon Marshall going to Miami. Denver has a decent Defense on paper, but giving up 44 points at home in a must win game against Kansas City isn't exactly promising for the upcoming season. Denver has a proud football tradition, but I don't expect anything to happen this year. If I'm a Denver fan, I'm hoping for them to lose some games and get some good draft picks to help Tebow in the future. I like Tebow because he seems to do things the right way, and seems to be a winner, but that will be in the future. not this year. 8-8 would be a best case scenario record for the Broncos this season.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS-

The Kansas City Chiefs were 4-12 last season after signing the highly sought after Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots. I thought Cassel was way over-rated when the Chiefs signed him because he benefited from a good system in New England. But nevertheless, Matt Cassel is the quarterback in Kansas City that fans are pinning their hopes of a turnaround season on. Matt Cassel has the help on offense though, with young runningback Jamaal Charles seeming to come into his own, and receiver Dwayne Bowe doing the same. The problem with the Chiefs is not the offense, its the defense. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't expect the Chiefs to light up the scoreboard or anything but with a decent defense they might be able to compete in most games. I don't see the Chiefs competing this year, but they are a team on the upswing for sure. I'll pick them to finish second in the division, ahead of the Broncos. I'll say Kansas City finishes the season at 8-8 this year, and will be a much more competitive team then they have been in the past few seasons.

OAKLAND RAIDERS-

The Oakland Raiders have been the model of a bad franchise for the last few years. They have had bad draft picks, problems with coaches punching coaches, allegedly, and mostly have an owner that wants it his way or no way. Al Davies has been the owner of the Raiders for a long long time, and lots of people believe that it is time for him to go. The Oakland Raiders, as far as defense goes, are pretty solid. The offense is pretty bad though. Who is the Raiders quarterback? Russell? Gradkowski? Brennan? Boller? Well Russell had too much "purple drank" and wasn't good anyway. It looks like Al Davies and Head Coach Tom Cable have decided to go with Jason Campbell, who the Washington Redskins gave to the Raiders for six old water bottles. The Raiders think that the ex first round draft pick can make them competitive. This team is the opposite of Kansas City, as they have a solid enough defense but cannot score any points, and the quarterback position in the past has been a disaster. The Raiders were only 5-11 last year, so there is a lot of room to improve, but they were outscored in the season by 181 points. I don't see the season turning around too much for the Raiders. This franchise is just not ready to succeed. Raiders will be the last place team in the division, I'm guessing with a record of 5-11 again.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS-

The San Diego Chargers are by far the class of the division in the AFC West, they have won the division the last four years, and I don't suspect that will change this year. The Chargers have the best offense in the AFC West with Philip Rivers leading the way at quarterback. The only real difference this year is that longtime runningback Ladainian Tomlinson has gone to the New York Jets. I think this will be a blessing for the Chargers because Tomlinson was a celebrity in San Diego, and he played a lot more than maybe he should have. He was great for the Chargers organization, but there is a time to leave, and that time was now for the Chargers. Taking over his spot will be rookie runningback Ryan Matthews from Fresno State University. This will be a big story to follow this year around the Chargers, but even if it doesn't go well, the Chargers have enough offensive and defensive firepower to handle this division. Philip Rivers is in the top five quarterbacks in the league, and certainly is the best quarterback in this division. With Rivers leading the way, and one of the best tight ends in the league in Antonio Gates, it should be the Chargers division to win. I predict that the Chargers will be 10-6 at worst, but will run away with the AFC West.

WRAP-UP:

When I think about division winners for any sport, it is fun to find a team to upset the favorite. It would be fun to pick the Chiefs to win the division, or the Raiders, or ride the hot start that the Broncos had last year and take them, but the truth is that this division is already over. The Chargers are the heavy favorites in this division, and I cannot find and reason to pick against them. I'll take the team that everybody expects, the San Diego Chargers, to win the AFC West. This is my prediction for the division:

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Denver Broncos
4. Oakland Raiders