Divisions to Watch in 2017 Part 4 AFC West

Divisions to Watch in 2017 Part 4 AFC West

Robert Knuckles

“Everyone has a chance”

I can’t wait to talk about this division. For the past couple of years the AFC West ras run by the Denver Broncos but last year the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs showed Denver that you guys aren’t winning the division. Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders Derek Carr had a great year completing 63.8 percent of his passes and throwing for 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. Carr’s tremendous season came to an end in week 16 when he suffered a broken fibula.

Now despite Carr’s injury I don’t think they would’ve won the division. The Chiefs were the only team that didn’t lose to a division rival and those games can play a crucial part of winning a division. Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers fell short of making the playoffs but after this draft and free agency I believe every team has a shot of winning this division.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

I’m going to start off with the team that finished last in the division. In a division that's dominated by defense quarterback Philip Rivers and his offense look to show that they can be problem for Denver and Kansas City. The Chargers drafted wide receiver Mike Williams who’s one of the best receivers coming from the draft the draft next to Cory Davis. Williams is like a Dez Bryant. He can’t break coverage but is a physical freak and locate the ball. Put Williams on the opposite side of Keenan Allen can bring problems to corners. The Chargers still have Pro Bowl Tight End Antonio Gates and young running back Melvin Gordon who looks to make 2017 a breakout year.

Now the defense might not be to the level of their offense but defensive end Joey Bosa had a great rookie season with 10.5 sacks and won defensive rookie of the year despite not playing a full season. Cornerback Casey Hayward had his best season leading all cornerbacks with seven interceptions and got in his first Pro Bowl.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Next we’ll talk about the Division winners. In free agency they got defensive tackle Bennie Logan which probably had to be the biggest move. They also probably had the biggest surprise in the draft by getting quarterback Pat Mahomes in the first round. Many people were scratching their heads but at the same time people have to look quarterback Alex Smith. Smith hasn’t been getting the job done in big time games. Smith couldn’t get anything going in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Steelers. Coach Andy Reid pretty much did something similar in Philadelphia when he drafted Donovan McNabb when they already had a quarterback in Doug Pederson. Now Mahomes isn’t going to be the starter but Smith is playing with a chip on his shoulders and has to perform great. Kansas City defense will still be great with Justin Houston, Marcus Peters, Eric Berry and adding Logan will help.

Offense is the biggest question. The Chiefs still have receiver Jeremy Maclin, Tight End Travis Kelce and superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill who’s just a stud and can play anywhere. This team can win the division but when it comes to the big moments what can Smith do?

3. Oakland Raiders

Next is the team that many people believe can give The Patriots problems this season and maybe even go to the Super Bowl. Raiders had a great offense this past year with Derrick Carr. Carr’s offensive line was the 4th best in the NFL giving Carr great protection and giving huge holes for the running game. Carr has a great wide receiver duo in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Now they did lose Latavius Murray to the Vikings in free agency but they got Marshawn Lynch to come out of retirement and this has to be one of the greatest stories. Lynch is an Oakland kid that loved the Raiders and during his time playing in Seattle he would always spend time in Oakland and helping out the community.

Now people say that Lynch won’t dominant due to missing a year of football but some don’t see it that way. Lynch will be playing for his hometime something that he has dreamed of doing. Lynch will have plenty of motivation to get back to beast form and he’s playing behind one of the best lines football unlike in Seattle.

Oakland’s defense was their kryptonite. Most games Oakland’s defense had at least 30 points scored on them. Free agent linebacker Bruce Irvin didn’t have an impact but looks to bounce back in 2017. They still have big time stud Khalil Mack who looks to get paid big after the 2017 season. Now last year the Raiders drafted safety Karl Joseph in the first round. He played okay in first season and hopes to play even better this season. This year in the draft Oakland got cornerback Gareon Conley in the first round. A corner that the Raiders desperately needed. Now Conley is still being looked into with the rape allegations but the Raiders believe that he’s innocent. If they didn’t then why draft him? In the second round they got safety Obi Melifonwu. It doesn’t hurt to have depth in the secondary. Now Oakland only has this year and next year before they move to Las Vegas so this team will be motivated to win championship for this city. The Oakland Raiders have return to dominance.

4. Denver Broncos

Another team that I have bouncing back are the Denver Broncos. Denver does have a couple question marks starting with quarterback position. Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch are young so time will tell to see if these young guys can get the job done. The offensive line was a problem last season and they seemed to fix that by getting guard Ronald Leary in free agency and drafting offensive tackle Garett Bolles in the first round.

The other big issue with Denver was the fact that they were ranked 28th against the run. They hope to change that by getting nose tackle Domata Peko and defensive end Zach Kerr. Denver still has the best secondary in the league.

Now we still have to see how Denver’s offensive line can do this season and we also have to see what their front seven can do to stop the run and last but not least who’s going to be the starting quarterback? Is it going to be Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch? And whoever starts will they be able to elevate their game.

Every team in this division has a shot to win. Now the AFC West do have to face the NFC East, a division that is on the rise so they have a challenge and it’s going to be a fun division to watch.