AFC West Week 8 Roundup: Chargers get the only division victory

The NFL season has neared the halfway mark and the playoff picture continues to take shape. With Week 8 in the books let’s recap how the AFC West fared on Sunday.

In the NFL where every week matters, we’ve officially reached the halfway mark for the 2019 season. Week 8 saw each of the AFC West division teams in action, and a win on Sunday could tip the balance in the favor of either the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, or Denver Broncos.

Without Patrick Mahomes under center, the Chiefs faced Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in primetime. The Oakland Raiders finally ended their brutal stretch on the road against Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans, while the Chargers and Broncos faced off against the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts respectively.

Here’s the week that was for the AFC West, beginning with the events that unfolded at NRG Stadium.

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders should have ended their road trip with a victory against the Houston Texans, case and point. In a game where the Raiders gave up zero sacks, went without a turnover, and at one point led 21-13, the Raiders fell to the Texans 27-24. The reason? Dropped catches, missed opportunities, and penalties sealed Oakland’s fate.

Tyrell Williams found the endzone again on Sunday, but he hauled in just three catches on six targets. Two of those drops were killer, and a total of 11 penalties for 100 yards proved once again that the Raiders continuously find ways to lose the game by their own hands. That can’t happen, especially when Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins prove to be the best one-two punch on the field.

Watson did what he does best, scrambling and making plays out of nothing, tossing three touchdowns in the process. The loss dropped the Raiders to 3-4 on the season, and they’ll finally come back home next Sunday.