2014 AFC West preview

Andy: This division produced three playoff teams last year, but only one really mattered. My sense is that Peyton Manning could fall off in his play by 10 to 15 percent in key metrics from 2013 and still be a contender for league MVP.

The Broncos remain the class of this division and it might be by a bigger spread than last year.

Tony: The Chiefs were the shock of the first half of the season, starting 9-0, but their true colors (and Alex Smith) showed through, finishing 2-5 the rest of the way. But Jamaal Charles could put any team in contention for a playoff spot, especially with a defense that tied for the fourth fewest points allowed in the NFL.

In their first season away from the clutches of Norv Turner, the Chargers also surprised many by making it back to the playoffs, although that may have had more to do with the lack of talent in the rest of the AFC more so than being a top talent. Still, to make the playoffs AND win on wild card weekend has to give fans in Southern California more reason for hope than they had under Norv.

Andy: I tend to think one of the reasons San Diego and Kansas City were able to sneak into the playoffs was the presence of Oakland in the division. I know the Raiders had some cap issues to get through, but man, were they bad. And judging from the first preseason game they played this season against Minnesota it’s probably not going to be much better this year.

Matt Schaub doesn’t look much improved over last year’s version. And Andre Holmes is your top WR? Yuck.

I think San Diego is more for real than people think. Mike McCoy was a great coordinator. And he seemed to push the right buttons with Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathews last year. Keenan Allen too, for that matter. They’ll be closer to the mix this year than the Chiefs.

Kansas City seems to go up and down every year. So, cyclically, they’re due for another poor season. I’d actually say closer to .500 – the defense is good and they do have Charles, but they’re not going to the playoffs this year.

Tony: The Chiefs have something that they never previously had, though, in Andy Reid. Playoff issues aside, he was consistently able to get the Eagles to the playoffs, making it in nine of his 14 seasons. Of course, Donovan McNabb was probably a better QB than Alex Smith—but Andy Reid got more out of McNabb than any other coach, as well.

The Raiders are … possibly the worst run franchise in all of sports. And when you look at some of the teams in the NBA, MLB, and Cleveland, that’s saying something. I thought when they finally got around to burying Al Davis, that maybe the team would start to turn around—but just in the last few months they’ve cut their starting quarterback, benched the somewhat promising rookie quarterback that started several games in 2013 in favor of a noodle armed re-tread that led the Houston Texans to the #1 overall pick (to be fair, Schaub wasn’t the only QB responsible for that, since he was actually benched midway through the season), and drafted a new rookie that is already drawing comparisons to his older brother (which, in Derek Carr’s case, is not a compliment).

And that’s just the quarterback position. Add in starting a potentially distracting controversy over their future home (maybe they can move to Buffalo after the Bills head to Toronto?), and the Raiders are probably going to be back in the running in the “Winless for Winston” campaign.

Hey, it’s not like the Raiders have a bad track record with taking young, SEC quarterbacks with character questions, right?

Andy: True about the Chiefs and Andy Reid, but I think McCoy night be a new version of him. I was really impressed with how the Chargers improved throughout the season last year and with what he accomplished with Rivers, who looked to be washed up not a few months earlier.

Denver is the most talented team in the division and they’re going to win the West hands down. But it’s the Chargers, not the Chiefs, who will be fighting for a wild card spot this season.

The Raiders … you pretty much said it all. Saying any more would be overkill. They may be able to start putting the last decade behind them soon, but they’re still a distant fourth in the West this year.