Around the AFC West: Key division games await Raiders, Chiefs

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos traveled to Atlanta on Sunday to take on Matt Ryan and the Falcons. The Falcons fired their head coach earlier this year and since then, have been playing pretty well. The Broncos, on the other hand, are bad. They are just so, so bad.

Atlanta took advantage of the fact that the Broncos defense is basically a bunch of high schoolers they snagged off the street on their way to the game. Cornerback Davontae Harris was targeted repeatedly while Ryan enjoyed a clean pocket. Drew Lock was inconsistent again. That is a problem, especially on Sunday when he threw a fourth quarter interception after the Broncos had clawed back the game to a two score deficit.

One shining spot continues to be Jerry Jeudy. He continues to show why he was worth the first round pick and improves every week. He will continue to progress and become a star.

The Broncos faced another devastating injury this week as rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam tore his ACL and will be out the rest of the season. The list of the Broncos injuries is so long that it probably can’t even fit on this page.

I would feel bad if I didn’t dislike them so much. COVID-19 continues to plague the team as defensive lineman Shelby Harris tested positive and is out another ten days. He is not exhibiting symptoms and the hope is that he recovers.

Next week, the Broncos travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in a divisional showdown. The Broncos are basically playing on crutches across the board, so I do not foresee a victory for them. That, coupled with the fact that the Raiders need to keep winning if they have any hope of taking the AFC West means that this game will likely result in a beatdown of the Broncos.

Game time is Sunday at 3:05 p.m.