Who Had The Best “First Drives” In The AFC West?
By Laddie Morse
AFC Offense- First Drives Overview
Since the Chiefs were the only AFC West team to march down the field and score a TD on their first drive they come out number one among all AFC West offenses.
1. Kansas City Chiefs- 14 plays and a TD
2. San Diego Chargers- 13 plays and a Field Goal
3. Denver Broncos- 7 plays and a Punt.
4. Oakland Raiders- Four plays and a fumble.
AFC Defense- First Drives Overview
On defense you have to give the San Diego Chargers defense it’s due. They allowed one 20 yard pass on the first play for a first down then quickly executed a three and out. That interprets to a 4 and out.
1. San Diego Chargers- 4 and out and a Punt.
2. Kansas City Chiefs- 6 and out and a Punt
3. Oakland Raiders- no first down, Field Goal
4. Denver Broncos- allowed a 14 play drive & a Field Goal
Now, does any of this have any prophetical meaning to you? Can you make heads or tails of this? Well, if you were a Raiders fan you might be concerned that your offense is going to be as bad as it has ever been. Besides a few hollow observations like that, I don’t find evaluating the first drive of the season as being any tell-tale sign about the season to come, do you?
Yet, there are those who believe this does tell us something. Like those who enjoy calling Alex Smith “Captain Checkdown.”
Having said that, out of all the teams in the AFC West, I’ll take the first drives on offense and defense for the Kansas City Chiefs over any that the other teams have had.
If anything, it’s just an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeney sign of good things to come. It’s the “tip of the tip” of the iceberg of an excellent season on the horizon.
Beyond that, I wouldn’t get too carried away with any of this stuff. But, it sure is fun to speculate.