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Fearless Rick's NFL Preview - AFC WEST

Rick Gagliano | 8/03/2007

AFC WEST - Predicted order of finish and (predicted record)

San Diego Chargers (13-3) - Nothing short of a trip to the Super Bowl will satisfy the Charger faithful, but replacing Marty Schottenheimer with Norv Turner may not have been the best solution, though after blowing their only playoff game to New England, 24-21, changes absolutely had to be made.

After all, the Chargers rolled through the season with a 14-2 record and their only losses were by 3 points at Baltimore and at Kansas City. Giving up a 21-13 lead late in the game had repercussions.

Roughly the same team will take the field in 2007, headed by Philip Rivers at QB, league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson at running back, Antonio Gates at tight end and Shawne Merriman spearheading the defense.

The Chargers are easily the best team in the AFC West, and will probably clinch the division the first week of December.

Denver Broncos (9-7) - Jay Cutler is the future for the Broncos, and the future is now. Unfortunately, the Broncos will do well to stay within shouting distance of the Chargers and making the playoffs is not a given. Cutler took over for Jake Plummer in mid-season last year, turning a 7-2 start into a 9-7 season and missing the playoffs on a last game loss to the 49ers.

He and head coach Mike Shanahan will have their chance at redemption, but they'll be looking for answers from an aging receiver in Rod Smith and will likely miss the services of Ashley Lelie, who took the free agent route to San Francisco.

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Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) - The Chiefs reached the playoffs at 9-7 last season, but fell in the first round to Indy, 23-8, in one of the worst offensive performances ever seen in playoff history. That prompted head coach Herman Edwards and the front office to jettison veteran Trent Green in favor of either Brodie Croyle or Damon Huard. Either QB can get the job done, and probably both will see action in 2007.

Another problem popped up for the Chiefs in the off-season, however, as Larry Johnson, who rushed for 1789 yards in 2006, decided to hold out of training camp. Right now, Priest Holmes, whom Johnson had replaced, is working towards a comeback. Whichever running back eventually gets the nod, they'll probably find success behind KC's capable and experienced offensive line, and they'll get plenty of carries. Honestly, the Chiefs would do well to have them both because the passing game may be shaky.

Defensively, the Chiefs are just OK, but can be lit up on occasion. They're good enough to get it done when the offense is doing its job, but if that offense sputters this season, there could be some long afternoons on the field for Chiefs defenders. A playoff spot depends on all of this meshing, which is not likely to happen.

Oakland Raiders (3-13) - The Raiders are easily the worst team in the league, but they have the #1 draft pick, JaMarcus Russell, the talented quarterback out of LSU. As strange as it may seem for a team that finished last season with a 2-14 record, the Raiders may not start Russell right away, preferring rather to lose their first five or six games before handing him the ball.

This is the same team that couldn't win with a solid defense and Randy Moss, who took the first flight for New England in the off-season.

The Raiders ranked third defensively in 2006, allowing 284.8 yards per game and allowed just 20.8. They managed to be so awful by scoring an average of only 10.8 per game, by far the lowest in the league. They will be just a little bit better in 2007.

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