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2005 NFL Preview - AFC West

AFC West

San Diego (12-4): In one of my articles for DocSports.com, I wrote how stunned I was to learn that the Over/Under for regular season wins for the Chargers was only set at 8 wins... This is a very talented team with a ridiculously friendly schedule. They do have to make 4 East Coast trips this year (NE, Philadelphia, NYJ and Washington), but only two of those look like they’ll be tough games and probably losses. They did get stuck traveling to Indianapolis, but that’s not a guaranteed loss. Remember – outdoor teams don’t generally get worse when they go indoors, especially teams like San Diego that have speed… They got a lot better on defense through the draft, and with Tomlinson, Gates and Brees, the offense looks as strong as ever.

Kansas City (8-8): Before their Week 5 bye, they have to travel to Oakland & Denver – two division road games in two hostile environments. The Chiefs actually got lucky by traveling to Denver in September rather than December. For them to finish the season at 8-8 will be quite a feat… They’re still an offense-first team, but the defense is coming along nicely with the acquisition of Patrick Surtain from Miami and the drafting of Derrick Johnson in the first round this year. One or two more pieces, and the Chiefs will be right back to fighting for the top of this division… Priest Holmes’ return from injury will be a major factor this year. If he’s healthy, they have one of the best ground games in the NFL. If not, Derrick Blaylock and Larry Johnson will have to grind it out to keep up the ridiculous pace that Holmes has set in his first four seasons as a Chief.

Oakland (8-8): I’m not sold on this record yet. In fact, I might drop it back to 7-9 or 6-10 before the season starts... They didn’t get any younger, again, during the off-season… Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan were great pick-ups. Jordan instantly adds a running threat that Oakland hasn’t had in many years (think… Bo Jackson – and that’s pretty sad)… Unfortunately, they’re relying on Kerry Collins to run the offense for them. And while he’ll be able to throw the deep ball to Moss & Jerry Porter (who is primed for a MONSTER season, by the way), I’m worried about his decision-making and ability to protect the ball…On defense, they still have to rely on Warren Sapp & Ted Washington up front, two overweight and overrated lineman who are both well past their primes. The defensive secondary is abysmal – drafting Stanford Routt (?!?) in the second round as a “Project Pick” is inexcusable. Fabian Washington had better be able to cover the entire field, or else the Raiders are in deep trouble…

Denver (5-11): 6-10 might be a little more accurate, but either way, the Broncos are in trouble… Jake Plummer obviously just can’t get it done. Mike Anderson & Tatum Bell in the backfield is a scary thought. They have a total of one very good player on defense - Champ Bailey… ¾ of their defensive line was imported from Cleveland, either through trade or free agency. The same defensive line that ranked dead last against the run last season… Still, with all of that, they’re going to find a way to win some games. Just not enough to get them back to the playoffs for another first-round blowout by Indianapolis…

posted by Big D @ 10:02 PM