The AFC West race in 2010 was one of the craziest in recent memory. The Raiders, who went 6-0 in the division, finished in third place. The Chargers, who had the No. 1-ranked offense and defense in the NFL, finished in second place. Both of those teams missed the playoffs. Instead it was the Chiefs, who went from 4-12 in 2009 to 10-6 in '10, who won the division.
If last year's race was crazy, this year's is Charlie Sheen-level insane. Through seven games, those same three teams — the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs — are all 4-3. Yet despite being above .500, none of the teams exudes much confidence. The latest example of that was Kansas City's 23-20 overtime victory over San Diego on Monday night, in a game both teams deserved to win — and both deserved to lose.
Now, as all three teams hit the official midway point of the '11 season next Sunday with their eighth game, it's another wacky race to win the West this season.
The PFW spin
All three teams have things working in their favor as the final race is decided over the next nine weeks. Each also has many things working against it. The Chiefs still have a home game vs. the Raiders and are done with the Chargers, while Oakland and San Diego have both their meetings against each other still on the schedule.
Each team will answer important questions in the next two months, and the responses will determine how each team fares the remainder of the season. Here are those questions:
What can be expected from Carson Palmer?
Were the Raiders to be 4-3 with Jason Campbell still healthy, they'd be the clear division favorites. Campbell was managing the offense well and had good chemistry with his receivers, and thanks to a dominant running attack and an improving offensive line, he wasn't asked to take over games. But now he's likely done for the year with a broken collarbone, and Carson Palmer has taken over under center. Palmer looked out of place in his first game with the team, with three interceptions in one half in Week Seven vs. the Chiefs. If he improves and the running game keeps churning out big performances, the Raiders have to like their chances. Palmer doesn't need to be Tom Brady to lead Oakland to a division title; he just can't afford to be JaMarcus Russell.
Can the Chiefs overcome their brutal schedule?
The next two weeks — vs. Miami and Denver — look like easy wins. The last two weeks of the season — vs. Oakland and at Denver — are likely wins, as well. It's those middle five games that could spell doom for the Chiefs' season. Starting Nov. 21, in order, they face the Patriots, Steelers, Bears, Jets and Packers. That's a combined record of 26-10. Three of the games (New England, Chicago and New York) are on the road. Although the Chiefs are currently playing the best of any of the three teams and are on a four-game winning streak, it may be a lot to ask the team to sustain that momentum against the murderers' row of opponents they're set to face.
Will the Chargers ever get everything clicking at the same time?
Even when they started off 4-1, there were plenty of skeptics (myself included). Now, at 4-3, there is even greater panic in Southern California. Key injuries and questionable coaching are expected when dealing with the Chargers, but poor play from Philip Rivers is not. Combine that with a defense that can't seem to make stops when needed, and there are major problems that need to be addressed on Norv Turner's club. Some of the injured players (such as OLG Kris Dielman and OLB Shaun Philips) should be back soon, and playing four of the next six games at home helps a lot. All of that, however, may not matter if the major chinks in the Bolts' armor aren't fortified quickly.
So, who will win the West? Of the three teams, the Chargers seem to be the most likely choice. San Diego has slipped and fallen plenty of times before, only to get back up and make the playoffs. That seems to be the likely scenario again in 2011, although as last year showed, you can expect the unexpected in this division.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/11/01/once-again-its-a-wild-wild-west
Seattle Seahawks San Diego Chargers St. Louis Rams Oakland Raiders Kansas City Chiefs phil baroni
No comments:
Post a Comment