The Chiefs will win the west!
By Royalman
While we are all getting excited for this Chiefs team the last two weeks really put a damper on the 3-0 start. Why are you upset?!? This team wasn’t supposed to be good. They have pushed two teams that were thought to be potential AFC West teams to the edge but just weren’t able to close the deal. While this team won’t go far in the playoffs they will get there. It’s easy to see by just looking at the schedule of the teams chasing. Let’s take a look:
Denver, currently 2-4, 1.5 games back: Denver did not get off to the hot start they have had the last 2 years. Sitting at a lowly 2-4 but good enough for a 3 way tie for 2nd in the pathetic west, Denver has some of their toughest games ahead. The Donkey’s will win the next two weeks against the Raiders at home and the apparently awful 49ers on the road to go into the bye at .500. That leads to one of the biggest remaining games for the Chiefs in week 10.
The Chiefs have always struggled at Invesco Field or Mile High. Last year they found a way but it is a lot to ask of Matt Cassel to go in and beat an okay Denver defense through the air. The running game of Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones will give the Broncos all they can handle but the Kyle Orton lead offense at home will just be too much. This will be a huge loss for the Chiefs tying them with the Broncos for the division lead at 5-4
The Broncos will go on to lose at San Diego and win at St Louis before coming to KC and losing at Arrowhead just like usual, once again for the division lead. Now 6-6 and trailing the 7-5 KC Chiefs, Denver will go to Arizona and beat the inept Cardinals but will lose in Oakland in the rivalry game. Denver will exploit the worst pass defense in football defeating Houston in Denver and ending the year with a win over disappointing San Diego. Denver ends the year at a surprisingly respectful 9-7 but one game behind the 10-6 Chiefs. I had Denver with a 5-11 record in the preseason but with Kyle Orton emerging as a Top 10 QB and teams like Arizona and San Francisco being so bad, Denver finds a few extra wins. Denver is really the only team that can push the Chiefs in the west but we will take a closer look at the remaining games and final records of the Raiders and Chargers.
San Diego was the popular pick to win the west but I said from day one that AJ Smith is an idiot who doesn’t know how to be a GM and Norvell is the 2nd worst coach in football close behind Wade Phillips in Dallas. This team makes me more right every week!
Currently 2-4 and in the three way tie for 2nd, San Diego has a very difficult schedule coming up. New England and Tennessee come to town the next two weeks and I don’t think SD is good enough to beat either one. They then have to go to Houston. While Phillip Rivers is a much better QB than Cassel I think Houston’s defense is going to be ready and is going to continue San Diego’s losing streak to five. This team will be happy to get to the bye. Denver will then come to town on Monday night and the Home Field advantage will be enough to finally break the slide only to go to Indy the next week and get rocked by Peyton and the boys. Now absolutely decimated at 4-8, they will pick up home wins over division rivals Oakland and KC along with san Fran. This will bring them to 6-8 and that will be the closest to the top they will be as they finish on the road with two losses and a 6-10 record. I honestly had them for 4 wins beginning the year but I will give them the benefit of the doubt on a couple games finishing them slightly better but well off the pace. This should be the end of Norvell in San Diego
Oakland who I actually picked to win the division with an 8-8 or 9-7 record has done everything they could to prove me wrong. I though Jason Campbell was the missing piece but Al Davis and Tom Cable screwed that up too. Now at 2-4, 1 game off the pace they will lose next week to Denver at Invesco before rebounding for home wins over Seattle and KC sending them to the bye at 4-5 still a game back of KC and Denver. They will then go get roughed up by the Steelers, find a way to beat Miami at home and then go on the road to lose at San Diego and Jacksonville. Now at 5-7 they return home beat rival Denver but lose to Indy and finish the year with a loss at KC to end the season a disappointing 7-9 but keeps them out of the cellar one game better than San Diego.
The Chiefs have surprised most and as shown above will take their bumps within the division but with home wins coming up over Jacksonville, Buffalo, Arizona in the next 4 weeks and finishing the season with a big win over Tennessee and Oakland this team will make the playoffs at 10-6 but may not be good enough for the 1st round bye. That would mean a playoff birth for the 1st time since 2006 and the 1st home playoff game since 2003. Time will tell if the Chiefs can get their first playoff win since 1993 and I wouldn’t count on it with no big game QB but at least Arrowhead will likely see a home playoff game this year.
Royalman can be found on facebook at www.facebook.com/colinmayhem
