AFC WEST 2020 PREVIEW

BY ADAM GREENE

For the last four seasons the AFC West has been dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs. It didn’t matter who was quarterback, be it Alex Smith or Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs were anointed Kings of the West all but the second Peyton Manning hung up his spurs as quarterback of the Denver Broncos after 2015.

Two years ago, with Mahomes slinging the ball in his first year as a starter, the Chiefs made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. Last season, they won the Super Bowl.

Will this year be any different? No. Are any of the teams in the AFC West closer to catching the Chiefs? Also no. But we’re still going to look at it.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (13-3, Division Champion)

Here’s what’s beautiful if you’re a Chiefs fan. This dynasty is going nowhere. You have the coach, Andy Reid, and the quarterback, Mahomes, and both guys know their destinies are inexorably linked. Sure, Reid will probably retire in the next five years and Mahomes will have to break in a new playcaller, but that’s down the road, in a world now, for so many reasons, we can only wistfully wait to show up on the horizon.

For now, though, these two are together and the dynasty is intact. They’ve got the skill players around Mahomes, as well as the offensive line and defense to keep them in games. To regularly beat the Chiefs, a team will have to score 30-plus points while keeping them from doing it. It’s a tall order and it’s not happening this year.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (8-8)

The drop off from the Chiefs to the Raiders is significant. No one has stolen more money from an NFL owner than head coach Jon Gruden and this will be another year of larceny. Derek Carr is the most talented QB that Gruden has ever called plays for as a head coach and they seem headed for a divorce. Marcus Mariota, on the bench, might make that split come that much sooner if this team starts off wrong. And it will.

They open the season crossing the country to face off against the Carolina Panthers, which with Teddy Bridgewater won’t be a pushover, then it’s five straight games against the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That looks like a 1-5 start to me at best. And if Gruden was anyone else, his brother for instance, the firing rumors would start swirling.

DENVER BRONCOS (7-9)

It doesn’t matter if Drew Lock is the guy or not. This team has way too many holes to compete this year. The hope is, at least, is that they’ve got a solid defense and their QB settled so a legitimate rebuild can continue.

General Manager John Elway has been scouring the planet for a QB since Manning rode off into the sunset and he can’t be blamed for everything. We all liked Paxton Lynch coming out of Memphis. It just didn’t happen. Same for his free agent moves, though he did dodge a bullet with a long term deal for Brock Osweiler, so there’s that.

If Lock is the guy, the Broncos are still a year away from competing for anything. But this season should see some solid growth if that’s the case.

LAS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-11)

If this team couldn’t win with Philip Rivers at quarterback, it’s sure as hell not going to do better with Tyrod Taylor. The Chargers are incapable of hiring a good head coach and Anthony Lynn not only survived the offseason purge of bad coaches, but was never in any serious danger.

This team will be handed over to Justin Herbert for good by Week 5 and, if owner Dean Spanos has any desire to make it in the L.A. market, he’ll fire Lynn around that same time.

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