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Around the AFC West: Chiefs clinch the division and more

By Ellen Mathis

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Nick Allegretti #73 celebrate a touchdown by Kelce against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 13, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Nick Allegretti #73 celebrate a touchdown by Kelce against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 13, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 13: Wide receiver Zach Pascal #14 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by cornerback Nevin Lawson #26 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half of their game at Allegiant Stadium on December 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Colts defeated the Raiders 44-27. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 13: Wide receiver Zach Pascal #14 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by cornerback Nevin Lawson #26 of the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half of their game at Allegiant Stadium on December 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Colts defeated the Raiders 44-27. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Our weekly tour of the AFC West in which a division winner is crowned and more.

Welcome to another edition of Around the AFC West! This is a special one because the Kansas City Chiefs clinched the AFC West on Sunday and took their rightful position at the top of the conference.

Before we dive into all of that, however, let’s look at a wild and weird week in the West to see if any of them remain alive and in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders hosted the Indianapolis Colts in a game that I thought would be really telling. The Colts are vying for their division and look like a really tough team, while the Raiders were hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing loss to the Falcons and a way-too-close win against the Jets. The Raiders seem to be comfortable with losing and clearly their defense is terrible.

The Raiders gave up 456 yards to the Colts, including 212 on the ground. Because of this, the Raiders immediately fired their defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, after the game. Derek Carr was unremarkable matching his touchdowns to his interceptions. Honestly, though, one of the interceptions was just an incredible, jaw-dropping play by Kenny Moore.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1338246763002679296

I mean, come on. That’s not really on Carr, and I really don’t like Carr so I would love to blame him.

Regardless, this loss hurt the Raiders. They still remain alive in the playoff hunt but their chances are still so slim. Their schedule is not particularly easy down the stretch with two divisional games looming and a tough matchup with the Dolphins. The Raiders will need help if they want to survive into January.

The Raiders have a short week this week as they host the Chargers on Thursday night. Coming into this game, the Raiders announced that speedster rookie Henry Ruggs III has been placed on the COVID-19/reserve list so their deep threat is out. That certainly does not help the offense. However, the Chargers are certainly not good so I anticipate the Raiders will pull this win out.

Game time is Thursday at 7:20 p.m.

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