Only one team from the AFC West remains in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy, the Kansas City Chiefs. This week is a nightmare scenario for Raiders fans, considering the rival Chiefs, and the New England Patriots both have an opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl, but here's to hoping that neither of them are crowned the eventual champion.
As the month of January has ticked by, more and more coaches around the league are being hired, many of them by the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been active in acquiring coaches to fill out recently hired head coach Vic Fangio's coaching staff; let's take a look at what the Broncos, and the rest of the AFC West have been up to.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos coaching staff is beginning to round out, as the team has announced a plethora of signings within the last week. Fangio has been hard at work assembling his unit; here's the list of coaches hired within the last week:
-Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell
-Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello
-Tight ends coach Wade Harman
-Offensive line coach Mike Munchak
-Linebackers coach Brandon Staley
It was rumored that Gary Kubiak – former head coach of the Broncos – would oversee the offense in Denver, but Kubiak has accepted a job with the Minnesota Vikings as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor. The Broncos will have an entirely new coaching staff next season, and it's possible they have a new quarterback too, but we'll have to wait on that.
Kansas City Chiefs
I picked the Indianapolis Colts to knock off the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but boy, was I wrong. The Chiefs thrashed the Colts on the ground, and while their 31-13 victory was convincing, it'll take a more than that to convince me to bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
If you've been watching the NFL for, I don't know, the last decade, you'd know that Brady and Belichick are at their best in the championship round of the playoffs. I don't care that it's supposed to reach record-breaking cold temperatures in Kansas City this weekend.
Don't. Bet. Against. The. Patriots.
Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs offense are certainly different from years past, and Andy Reid is an offensive guru, but Mahomes is still relatively unproven in terms of playoff experience, and what better way to gain experience than by going toe-to-toe with one of the best to ever play the game. In the freezing chill of Kansas City, this weekend's AFC Conference Championship will be worth watching.
Los Angeles Chargers
Philip Rivers' record against Tom Brady went from 0-7 to 0-8 after the Chargers' loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the Divisional Round. At the end of the first half the Bolts trailed 35-7, and eventually fell 41-28. Rivers and Co., looked poised for a potential deep run in the postseason, but that wasn't the case.
In the latter stages of his career, one begins to wonder whether Rivers will ever win a Super Bowl, let alone reach the Super Bowl stage. The 37-year-old quarterback looks like he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, but this could be an interesting offseason for the Chargers.
