State of the AFC West: Preseason Halfway Point
With each team having played two games so far, we’ve all had a decent look at all four teams in the AFC West this preseason.
Some teams and players have impressed, while others have floundered. Preseason records mean little, but you like to see that your team knows how to close out a game and take home a ‘W’ before the regular season starts.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the Raiders, as they are the only team in the AFC West who has yet to check into the win column.
With two preseason games left, here are some quick news and notes from each of the three other teams in Oakland’s division.
Chargers (2-0)
-Philip Rivers’ preseason stat-line is as follows: 16 of 20, 146 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions. When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s off, he will again cost the team wins with his interceptions. Forget the 2-0 preseason record. That touchdown-to-interception ratio means trouble moving forward and could be a sign of some sort of lingering injury.
-Vincent Brown was shaping up to be a favorite receiver before breaking his ankle against Dallas. Reports say he’ll only be out 8 weeks, but the nature of the injury combined with his style of play lead me to believe it will be longer. This is a huge blow for the Chargers.
-None of the Charger running backs have stepped up as a viable option to replace the production of Ryan Mathews to start the season. It’ll be a committee approach, comprised largely of has-beens and have-nots. Again, not good for San Diego.
-Rookie defensive tackle Kendall Reyes continued to impress against Dallas. If he doesn’t win a starting job, he will be heavily featured in the D-line rotation at the very least.
Chiefs (1-1)
-Matt Cassel continues to look sharp in leading what appears to be the AFC West’s most complete offense. Barring injuries and Cassel crashing the bus, Kansas City is going to be a handful to stop offensively.
-Former Raider Kevin Boss looks impressive and in my opinion may be outplaying Tony Moeaki at tight end. Keep an eye on that battle going forward.
-In the few carries Jamaal Charles has had thus far he looks to be back to or at least near 100%. If you play fantasy football, it looks like he’s a safe pick this year as at least a No. 2 RB, possibly a No. 1.
-Despite the score of the St. Louis game, the Chiefs’ defense looks solid and deep. I’m anxious to see this group under live fire.
Broncos (1-1)
-Forgive me for not swooning over Peyton Manning, but let’s be honest. This is not Peyton Manning from 2004. What Denver has is a servicable veteran quarterback with a great football IQ. An upgrade over Tim Tebow, yes. A catalyst for a Super Bowl run? Not so much.
-Brandon Stokley looks like he is about to revive his career. All signs point to him being the man in the slot along side of Thomas and Decker at WR.
-There are whispers that Knowshon Moreno might not make the team. I’ve seen this coming for a while. He’s not exactly a John Fox-type of back. I also have sources who have been to Broncos camp who tell me Moreno is not even as big as he is listed (5’11, 200). In any event, expect him to be cut before opening weekend.
-Again, it is only preseason, but other than rookie Derek Wolfe, I have seen very little about the Denver defense that impresses me.
Stop by again next Wednesday to see what, if anything has changed with the rest of the AFC West.
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