Week 14 AFC West Roundup
By Justin Smith
A weekly update on the AFC West, to keep up with the Oakland Raiders and the rest of the division.
The AFC West took a bit of a beating in Week 14, with only the Chiefs coming out with a win.
That win was over the Oakland Raiders, and put the Chiefs in a tie with the Raiders for best record in the division at 10-3. The Chiefs swept the Raiders 2-0 this season, meaning they hold the tiebreaker and first place for the stretch run.
The Broncos could’ve taken advantage of the Raiders loss and crept closer to the top of the division. Instead, their offense stagnated and their defense couldn’t do quite enough to pull out a victory in Tennessee.
The Chargers — well, they dropped another one, this time in Carolina. It was an ugly game in which Philip Rivers turned the ball over multiple times. Shocking, I know. The Chargers also had two key players in Melvin Gordon and Joey Bosa go out with injuries. Again, shocking.
If there are two things you can count on in this crazy AFC West this year, it is this: Philip Rivers will throw interceptions, and Charger players will get injured in droves.
But let’s get back to the teams that matter in the race for the division title, namely two: the Raiders and the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have a perfect 4-0 divisional record, and own two wins over the Raiders. They’ve got the tiebreaker over the Raiders in any given scenario. The Raiders must finish with a better record to win the division.
The Chiefs, though, must match the Raiders win for win as both teams have identical records. Both have divisional games left; both have road games left.
Last week’s tilt was a hard-fought game, and the Chiefs seem to have the Raiders number recently. It’s only fitting that things in the AFC West are coming down to the wire, with two of the top five teams in football residing at the top.