THE Denver Broncos are odds in the AFC West but is our NFL man Louis Ross (@LouisRoss67) taking them on?
AFC West | 13th September 2015 – 3rd January 2016
You would expect this division to be the closest of all. It's not inconceivable that three of these could finish with the same Win/Loss record. Let's take a look at them one by one.
Denver Broncos
When it comes to stats (and Americans love their stats) Peyton Manning is by a very long way the greatest Quarterback whoever played. He's fifth on the list of those that I have seen but its hard to fault the guy. Written off by the Colts at age 36, Manning has gone on to Denver where he was supposed to retire quietly. Far from that, he's gone on to break every record in the book.
John Fox had coached this team to a Super Bowl and is now (thankfully) in place at Soldier Field. Gary Kubiak comes in from Houston and his first task will be to get Wade Phillips to toughen up the Defence. The loss of Julius Thomas to Jacksonville will be felt and surely at the age of 39 even the great Peyton will show signs of slowing down. CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman are battling it out to be the lead RB. The last year of an outstanding career is not going to end with another Super Bowl ring.
Kansas City Chiefs
Here's a stat for you. In 2014, not one Kansas Wide Receiver caught a Touchdown Pass. Not one. I'm not sure I've ever heard that before and you have to worry about a side with a record like that. 9-7 was a minor miracle last year in truth. Alex Smith is an ok Quarterback, but ok doesn't cut it in today's NFL. Not even with a Running Back like Jamaal Charles who pretty much won those nine games on his own.
Now, before you think I am writing these guys off completely, they have recruited really well in the off season. Jeremy Maclin was a stud in Philly (and for my Fantasy team) and the Defence looks much stronger. Phillips took that Houston Defence from 29th rated to number six in a year. If he does that in Kansas, expect them to run Denver very close.
San Diego Chargers
Weren't the Chargers supposed to roll over everything before them? Philip Rivers throwing TDs to Antonio Gates like they were going out of fashion. LT running through brick walls etc. Never quite happened and although Rivers and Gates are still around, I am not too sure how much is behind them.
The brutal fact is that San Diego has not won more than nine games in a season since 2009. They probably have enough on Offence to win a few games, Defence however could lose them just as many. The Secondary is exceptional, however when the Front 7 are letting them down in as big a way as they have been, opposition QB's get the time to find holes downfield no matter how good you are at Corner. Another team I expect to see win nine games.
Oakland Raiders
The Milwall of the NFL. No-one likes them and they dont care. 12 losing seasons on the bounce. To be fair they're actually more Blackpool than Milwall right now. Derek Carr is a really talented Quarterback and Michael Crabtree is a huge addition at Receiver. Well he could be, but he never really impressed in San Fran did he.
Offence will explode once or twice during the season and surprise you but everything else is extremely negative. Defence is a real mess. No Pass Rush and a Secondary that would struggle to stop Tim Tebow. I wanted to say something positive but it's either Oakland or Tennessee for worst team in the AFC. They are 33/1 to win a four team Division. What more do you need to know?!
Best Bets
AFC West – Kansas City Chiefs to win AFC West (5/1 Paddy Power)
