Around the AFC West: Chiefs stumble and Chargers survive
By Ellen Mathis
Let’s look around the AFC West as the Raiders come off their bye, the Chargers squeak by the Broncos and the Chiefs fall to the Bills.
Welcome back to another edition of Around the AFC West.
I am still recovering from attending Sunday’s loss to the Bills. Weirdly enough, I need to stop attending those games. I went last year during the regular season and they lost. This year, same thing: attended during the regular season and the Chiefs lost. At the end of the day, let’s just rip their hearts out again during the playoffs, right?
Before we dissect that loss, however, let’s look at the rest of the division heading into Week 7.
Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos
The Chargers really haven’t looked like themselves since the Thursday Night Football game against the Chiefs. With a banged-up Herbert and injuries piling up, the team has just not been as good as I thought they would be. Do I think the Chargers are over-hyped every year? Yes. However, I certainly thought their offense would be much better than it is proving to be.
Herbert seemed to be on the mend and the Broncos are terrible, so I really thought the Monday matchup between the Broncos and the Chargers would be a blow out in favor of the Chargers. Boy, was I wrong. The teams went into overtime (which did not make me happy from a fantasy football standpoint as my opponent had two players still remaining to my zero).
This was a game of way too many flags, weird coaching decisions, and a Chargers kicker who gutted it out through a hamstring injury to kick the game winning overtime field goal.
Chargers’ HC Brandon Staley told reporters that kicker Dustin Hopkins is expected to be sidelined 2-4 weeks due to his hamstring injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 18, 2022
On the flip side, the Broncos for some reason decided that Melvin Gordon just wasn’t going to play in the second half. He had something to say post-game.
Melvin Gordon had 3 carries for 8 yards tonight. They all came in the first quarter.
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) October 18, 2022
"It was a close game. I felt like I could've helped make a difference but apparently not." pic.twitter.com/kMLNzpGybv
I also just really do not understand Nate Hackett and Brandon Staley but I think this sums it up well:
Andy Reid has moved up the AFC West clock management rankings
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) October 18, 2022
These two teams did not look good. The first quarter for the Broncos was pretty impressive – Russell Wilson was slinging the ball, but then, maybe his injury hindered his performance?
After the MRI, Russell Wilson is considered day-to-day, source said. It’s a real injury, and he’s in real pain. But he is pushing to play. The #Broncos will continue to evaluate his progress on a short week. https://t.co/Yd0mUwjLNb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 18, 2022
Who knows. At the end of the day, the Chargers have pulled even (although the Chiefs hold the tie-breaker) and the Broncos continue to sink towards the bottom. Both teams are facing injury concerns and neither can afford those if they have any hope of making the playoffs.
Next week, the Chargers take on Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks in a late afternoon showdown. The Seahawks have been pretty impressive. Maybe they knew something about Russell Wilson when they chose to trade him? Regardless, if the Chargers don’t figure things out, they could easily lose to them.
The Broncos get the suddenly amazing New York Jets on Sunday. Let’s all remember back to last week when the Jets destroyed the Packers. What a weird and wonderful game football is. Look, the Broncos probably lose this one because the Jets seem to have figured something out and the Broncos can’t get out of their own way.