Each AFC West Teams’ Path to the 2018 Division Title
By Grant Tuttle
Every team in the AFC West has reasons to hope if the chips fall the right way. Here’s the path to the crown for each.
The path to winning the AFC West is going to be a tight race this season. It may be one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. There is a lot of change and uncertainty for every team in the AFC West, however, there is a path to victory for each team.
The Oakland Raiders have a new coaching staff, the Chiefs and Broncos both have new quarterbacks, and the Chargers are forever adapting to replace injured players. Because of the team’s apparent roster stability and talent on paper, many are picking the Los Angeles Chargers to win the division. That is where we will start followed by the Raiders, Broncos, and then Chiefs.
Let’s take a look at each team’s path to glory and how the chips must fall if they are to follow it
The Los Angeles Chargers will win the AFC West if….
Philip Rivers continues to play at a high level.
The Chargers 2018 success will hinge on Philip Rivers. Watching the tape, Rivers has lost a bit of arm strength and does not have the same touch on passes. However, there is a reason that he has finished in the top five in passing yards for the past three seasons: Rivers has been an incredible talent for the Chargers. At 36 years of age, Rivers is obviously on the downhill side. In order for the Chargers to win the AFC West, Rivers will have to play at the same level without taking any steps back.
The team can stay healthy.
While I understand that this can be said for any NFL team, the Chargers are different. Every season there is a major injury for the team, to the point when opposing fan bases almost seem sympathetic toward the Chargers. The season is already off to a difficult start, losing starting tight end and breakout candidate Hunter Henry to a torn ACL for the 2018 season. On defense, the Chargers also lost their starting cornerback Jason Verrett. In order for the Chargers to be successful, they will need to avoid any more preseason or early season catastrophes.
The team can fix their rush defense.
The Chargers are well equipped to defend against the pass with great cornerbacks and arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL. However, the team was particularly weak against the run. Last season the Chargers finished 31st in the NFL against the run, which was actually worse than the Chiefs, who made that a big emphasis on fixing that this offseason. If the Chargers want to have a truly dominant defense, they must see production from their inside linebackers in stopping the run.