Week 6 in the NFL is in the books and the AFC West has seriously tightened up. Surprising wins by the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs has left everyone in the division within two games of one another.
The Chargers (2-4) are still breathing. However, I think we can all agree that they are the weakest team in the division. San Diego is not ready to win this season. The Chargers are beat up and just cannot play winning football in the fourth quarter when games are on the line. It is literally a matter of weeks before Mike McCoy is unemployed.
Kansas City (3-2) may be the most interesting team in the division. The Chiefs have looked awful in three of their games. They had to pull off an amazing fourth-quarter comeback against the Chargers to win at home in Week 1. Kansas City has looked bad in losses against the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Chiefs knocked off the Oakland Raiders on Sunday on the road. Kansas City does not make sense yet.
The Raiders (4-2) currently lead the division thanks to tiebreakers. Oakland loves the road and hates playing at home. The Raiders are undefeated on the road, all of which were pretty sizable road trips across the country. But, Oakland is just 1-2 on their home field, with their one win coming in a dogfight against San Diego.
Finally, the Denver Broncos (4-2) are in a fine position. Like most of the division, Denver is inconsistent. The Broncos looked almost unbeatable at 4-0. However, two straight losses have fans questioning how strong this team actually is. Denver will use this long week of preparation to balance out and find their true identity this season.
The question is who is going to run away with the division this season. The best answer that I have is nobody. In time, San Diego will completely fall out of contention while Denver, Oakland and Kansas City will battle it out. All three schedules for these teams are pretty favorable down the stretch in terms of non-divisional games. The AFC West will be won by the team that takes care of divisional games.
At this point, I think Denver should be considered the favorite. A proven championship defense is a big deal, even though the offense is still trying to find its identity. Oakland is talented, but I think they will really struggle the rest of the way in the division. And Kansas City just does not do anything really outstanding or consistent. Whatever way the AFC West decides to unfold, it is going to be tight and a very good watch.
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