2011 NFL Divisional Previews - AFC West

After a strange 2010 season, it is expected that the AFC West's order will be restored in 2011. The San Diego Chargers statistically had the best offense and the best defense in the NFL, but due to awful special teams, and an awful head coach, finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. That allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to sneak in and claim the AFC West. The Chiefs won't be able to do any sneaking this season. The Oakland Raiders finally showed signs of improvement, so in typical Al Davis fashion, he fired the coach responsible for it. The Denver Broncos got burned by a head coach that was in way over his head and find themselves in an unfamiliar spot as the dregs of the division.


1. San Diego Chargers

2010 Record: 9-7, 2nd place AFC West
Head Coach: Norv Turner (5th season San Diego, 103-109-1 career)
Key Additions: DE Corey Liuget, SS Bob Sanders, ILB Takeo Spikes,
Key Losses: RB-KR Darren Sproles, ILB Stephen Cooper

2011 Outlook: The Chargers had their customary slow start in 2010 but unlike in previous years, were unable to fully recover from it. Their special teams was atrocious and cost them multiple games. QB Philip Rivers continued to establish himself as a bonafide star. Despite having to throw to a bunch of no name receivers at certain points in the season due to injuries he still put up monster numbers. Most of the offense is back, with the exception of Darren Sproles. RB Ryan Mathews will try to stay healthy this season. He was massively overrated last season and was not just a real life bust but a major fantasy bust. The Chargers bring back their excellent wide receiver corps, and will have Vincent Jackson for a full season this year. On defense, with Ron Rivera leaving to take over the Carolina Panthers, Greg Manusky is the new defensive coordinator. The Chargers were good at preventing teams from getting many yards, but also struggled in creating pressure on the quarterback, as well as turnovers. They took a flier on Bob Sanders, hoping he can play more than 1 game for a change. The schedule has some tough spots with games against New England, Green Bay, and Baltimore but overall is pretty soft. No excuses should be left for Norv Turner if this is another underachieving season.

Prediction: 11-5

2. Kansas City Chiefs

2010 Record: 10-6, 1st place AFC West)
Head Coach: Todd Haley (3rd season Kansas City, 14-19 career)
Key Additions: WR Jonathan Baldwin, WR Steve Breaston, FB Le'Ron McClain, NT Kelly Gregg, LB Brandon Siler
Key Losses: OLB Mike Vrabel, LG Brian Waters

2011 Outlook: I'm not buying the Chiefs. They were one of the surprises of the NFL last year, but I think they took advantage of a soft schedule. They were exposed as frauds when the Ravens absolutely destroyed them in the playoffs. That being said, they did have very good seasons from QB Matt Cassel, as well as WR Dwayne Bowe. Reinforcements have been added to the wide receiving corps, with the drafting of Jonathan Baldwin and the acquisition of Steve Breaston. The Chiefs have a solid TE in Tony Moeaki, and a dangerous 1-2 combo at running back between Jamaal Charles, and Thomas Jones. One problem despite all these weapons is that the Chiefs don't seem sure on who will be calling the plays following the departure of Charlie Cheeseburger. On defense the Chiefs are hoping to improve their ability to stop the run by adding veteran Kelly Gregg, who was released by the Ravens. Finishing in first place has brought a first place schedule to Kansas City, and I don't think this team is ready to handle that kind of challenge.

Prediction: 7-9

3. Oakland Raiders

2010 Record: 8-8, 3rd place AFC West
Head Coach: Hue Jackson (1st season Oakland, 0-0 career)
Key Additions: TE Kevin Boss, QB Trent Edwards
Key Losses: OG Robert Gallery, TE Zach Miller, WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, CB Nnamdi Asomugha

2011 Outlook: The Oakland Raiders completed a pretty amazing feat. They went 6-0 in their division, but just 2-8 outside of it, causing them to become the first team to go undefeated in their division and miss the playoffs. Their quarterback situation was up in the air all season but they finally got the production they expected out of RB Darren McFadden. If McFadden can remain healthy again this year, he could be even better. Jason Campbell is the starter at quarterback and it remains to be seen if his lease will be just as short under Hue Jackson was it was with Tom Cable. The Raiders still are very weak at wideout, and lost their best pass catcher in TE Zach Miller. The offensive line is also a huge question mark, which should remind Campbell of his Redskin days. The Raiders lost their best player on defense in Nnamdi Asomugha, who was mostly the reason they were second against the pass last season. That might be disastrous as they expect to take a hit on pass defense, and are already atrocious at stopping the run. I think the Raiders will remain competitive but lost too many key pieces to continue the improvement they showed last season.

Prediction: 7-9

4. Denver Broncos

2010 Record: 4-12, last place AFC West
Head Coach: John Fox (1st season Denver, 78-74 career)
Key Additions: RB Willis McGahee, TE Dante Rosario, LB Von Miller, DT Ty Warren, DT Broderick Bunkley
Key Losses: RB Correll Buckhalter, WR Jabar Gaffney, TE Daniel Graham

2011 Outlook: Last season was a disaster for Denver. They had little to no running game, were horrific on defense, and figured out too late that Josh McDaniels was not ready to be a head coach. They have brought in John Fox, a coach that had some success in Carolina, but to me is terribly overrated. They attempted to trade QB Kyle Orton but were unsuccessful so he will be back as the starter. Orton played quite well last season, with some help from the strange reawakening that WR Brandon Lloyd seemed to go through. RB Knowshon Moreno didn't get many opportunities to run the ball last year, but should see more with Fox as coach. The Broncos added Willis McGahee whose days as a featured back are long done, but is still someone that is effective in goal line situations. The Broncos once again have revamped their defensive line, hoping they finally have the right combination of players. It will help to have Elvis Dumervil back from injury, and the pass defense could use the help as they were torched often last year. If Dumervil can return to his form prior to injury, that will take some of the pressure off of Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. I expect the Broncos to show some improvement but their is still turmoil surrounding this team. The fans want to see Tim Tebow, but the players want Kyle Orton. The fact that the Broncos were entertaining trading Orton shows that even though Tebow was McDaniels pick, they still feel the pressure to play him. Once the team struggles, expect to see Tebow get another shot.

Prediction: 6-10