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Around the AFC West: Raiders soar, Broncos suffer in Week 2

By Ellen Mathis

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Running back Austin Ekeler #30 of the Los Angeles Chargers is tackled by a pair of Kansas City Chiefs defenders during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Running back Austin Ekeler #30 of the Los Angeles Chargers is tackled by a pair of Kansas City Chiefs defenders during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates on the field after the Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-24 in the NFL game at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates on the field after the Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-24 in the NFL game at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Let’s take a look around the AFC West at how division rivals survived (or fell) in Week 2 of the 2020 NFL Season and look ahead at Week 3.

Week 2 is in the books and it was wild. Honestly, I don’t do well with close games; I get too nervous and things get really weird at my house. I may have mentioned before that my husband is a Cowboys fan, so yesterday was infinitely worse because both our games ended in game-winning field goals. I’m over that. Let’s play better and just put games away.

Before we discuss the fact that the Chiefs forgot to play for at least an hour, let’s check out our other AFC West rivals and see where things stand after Week 2.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders opened Allegiant Stadium to the public on Monday Night Football while hosting the New Orleans Saints. The Raiders were coming off a close victory against the Carolina Panthers while the Saints had just knocked off the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Raiders were hoping for a win to keep pace with the Chiefs in the division and to make a statement on a nationally televised game.

The Saints got off to a hot start without their star receiver Michael Thomas, but after a bad Drew Brees interception, halftime came and the game was tied.

After that, the Saints could do nothing. The Raiders defense shut down their offense and Carr led the Raiders to a 10-point victory over the Saints, a team many believe to be a Super Bowl contender. The Raiders opened their stadium with a win and looked impressive in their new home in Vegas. I still don’t believe in Derek Carr (he took 3 sacks in the first quarter), but there is potential.

The media has spent a lot of time questioning whether Brees “has it” anymore, and I think that is a fair question, but some credit should be given to the Raiders defense for hurrying Brees and making him uncomfortable as a passer. The defense is young, but has serious promise—much like the Raiders offense.

The Raiders had a scary moment when Johnathan Abrams crashed into a TV cart on the sideline. Luckily, he merely had the wind knocked out of him. The only other injury that has been reported is that Richie Incognito left with an Achilles injury that had bothered him in practice leading up to Monday night’s game.

Next week, the Raiders travel to New England to take on the Cam Newton-led Patriots. This game will be a test for both teams. Is New England for real? Are the Raiders for real? I’m very interested in watching this matchup, especially since the Chiefs play New England in just a couple weeks.

Game time is Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

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