AFC West power rankings: Middling week from division wraps up September
Week 4 is now in the books. Through one month of the NFL season, there are still some unknowns to be figured out by certain teams. That includes the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. But in the division as a whole, every team is still looking to play much cleaner.
Kansas City emerged victorious in their first division game of the year, topping the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10. It was not the most encouraging victory for Kansas City. But in the end, the Chiefs will gladly take the W as some things get sorted out. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos each got wins as well. Denver had one of the ugliest wins in recent NFL memory. Meanwhile, Las Vegas finished strong after a sluggish start.
How do the AFC West power rankings stack up after a middling Week 4 from the teams in the division? Here is where things stand.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Rashee Rice injury and potential affects from that are arguably the greatest pill to swallow from Sunday. Rice was continuing to grow and had been the go-to guy for Patrick Mahomes early on. Mahomes is looking to shake off one of the worst starts to a season in his career. Now, he will have to do so with a weakened pass catching group.
The deep ball connection to Xavier Worthy certainly lifted some spirits, as Mahomes dropped it in a bucket to the rookie. Chris Jones was a menace and frustrated Justin Herbert repeatedly. Steve Spagnuolo's defense was dominant once again after giving up an early score.
Will the Chiefs eventually make a move at wide receiver? Can Mahomes begin to settle down while simultaneously not having the two wide receivers he believed he would have entering the season? In order to keep racking up wins, more complementary team football will remain vital for Kansas City.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers remain in the second spot in the AFC West power rankings. Kansas City rarely blows anyone out. And their aforementioned struggles on offense are going to let teams hang around. But given the amount of star power that Los Angeles was missing, they certainly gave the Chiefs a tough fight on Sunday. Herbert remains one of the more impressive quarterbacks when he or the team is not 100 percent. He had a few pinpoint throws that should have been caught where his teammates did not come through for him.
Entering their bye week, Los Angeles is going to get some much-added rest and relaxation. Having a chance to get healthier comes at a perfect time for a team that has lost two games in a row to two AFC division leaders. If the Chargers defense continues to create pressure like they did on Sunday, LA will certainly be a tough out each week.
3. Denver Broncos
Some people may be surprised to see the Broncos remain in our third spot in the AFC West power rankings. As ugly as their win was against the Jets on Sunday, they made New York look as bad as they have looked all season. At least the Jets offense and Aaron Rodgers that is. It might be time to truly buy in to the ceiling of this Broncos pass rush. They beat up Rodgers and made him gimpy near the end. Patrick Surtain II has consistently dazzled against some of the league's best wide receivers. And after New York had begun to get the ground game going in recent weeks, the Broncos totally stymied it.
Denver's offense is going to be a major work in progress all season long. The statistical notes of the Broncos offense is going to produce laughs. Sunday's game from rookie Bo Nix certainly gave Denver fans some heart attacks from time to time. But if Denver's defense remains stout, they may only need 17 to 20 games on offense against a good chunk of teams on their schedule. For what Sunday's performance was worth, the Broncos moved to 2-2 with a second straight win.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders sleepwalked through the first quarter. Cleveland was able to jump out to a 10-0 lead. But in the middle portion of this game, Las Vegas found success with the ground game. The Raiders tallied 152 rushing yards and 5.2 yards per carry on the day. Both of their touchdowns were via the rushing attack as well.
To get a victory like this without names like Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby and others, Antonio Pierce is going to be much prouder of his players' decision making this time around. With the up-and-down nature of Gardner Minshew, however, the Raiders are going to be forced to grind games out in this style seemingly most weeks. That may have been the case entering the season. Though, Las Vegas is likely having to mask the low moments of Minshew even more than anticipated. A key trip to Denver next week awaits.