It's that time. No more baseless arguments. No more "just wait and see". Now is the time. It's the NFL regular season. And as promised, here are my predictions.
San Diego Chargers: 10-6, AFC West Champions - The Good: The Chargers have a leader in Phillip Rivers. They have talented playmakers to catch the ball. And now it looks like they may have a legitimate running game. The Bad: The defense is still going to be the weak spot on this team. They look better, but how much better still remains to be seen. The Ugly: The Chargers need to utilize their star QB and the dangerous passing game. They need to jump out on teams early and keep their foot on the accelerator. I don't have much confidence in the defense to hold off solid teams in close games.
Oakland Raiders: 8-8, 2nd Place AFC West - The Good: The defense looks solid in Oakland. It's going to be hard to score on this team. The Bad: The O-line is going to be a source of constant frustration in Oakland. It will be hard for Campbell and the offense to get going when opposing defenses are in the backfield. The Ugly: If the defense can keep games close, then you can expect the Raiders to be the upset kings of the NFL this year. I see them moving in the right direction. Might be talking playoffs next year.
Kansas City Chiefs: 8-8, 3rd Place AFC West - The Good: The Chiefs are going to put on a run game clinic for the entire NFL to be in awe of. A pair of 1,000 yard backs is not out of the question. The Bad: There is no depth in KC. The starters have played well in the preseason, but you need guys that can rotate in and be effective. The Ugly: The Chiefs look to be much improved in all aspects of the game. The Chiefs could be the best of the bad teams in the NFL this year.
Denver Broncos: 6-10, 4th Place AFC West - The Good: The offensive and defensive passing game has been great. Orton and Bailey are clear cut leaders on this team. The Bad: Injuries are going to really cost the Broncos this year. There still remains some questions about whether or not the Broncos can stop the run. The Ugly: The Broncos haven't looked bad in preseason. I'm almost tempted to put them at 8-8 as well. But I think injuries are going to come back and haunt them. It's going to be tough for Clady and Harris to start the season cold coming off of injuries and manage to stay healthy. On defense it really comes down to one thing for me; Ayers is not Dumervil. That's three key players that are either out or uncertainties right now.
Learn, discuss and debate what's going on with the teams in the NFL's AFC Western Division minus the hate, immaturity and stupidity found on the ESPN Blog or anywhere else.
the raiders make it 9-7 and the bolts could find thereselves in a tie for first !!
ReplyDeleteAs a Chargers fan its hard for me to see 6 losses. But if they do end up on the wrong side of all the close games they might play then I guess 6 losses can be said for. I still see them going 12-4 and McNeill coming in mid season.
ReplyDeleteWell done Citadel. Nice read and I can't find many of your points to argue with.
ReplyDeleteMy only disagreement would be with this statement: "The Chiefs could be the best of the bad teams in the NFL this year."
I understand what you are saying since KC has been bad the past few year... But this year I don't think they will be considered a bad team anymore. I say they are going to become a slightly above average team thanks to the running game and an improved O-Line. I'm still holding out judgment on the defense tho... But I still see the d-line and linebackers as the Achilles heal. So I guess you could revise your statement to: "The Chiefs could be near the top of the slightly above average teams." ;-)