With half of the season in the books, the stakes are higher in the AFC West, and each game has become far more meaningful. The Kansas City Chiefs still lead the way with a record of 6-2 after knocking off the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. While there were a handful of trades made prior to the NFL deadline Wednesday, no one in the division made any significant changes to their team.
Without wasting anymore time, let's jump into the Week 9 edition of the AFC West Update.
Denver Broncos
After putting up an impressive 42 points against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, the Broncos offense has come to a screeching halt, so much so, that the team is opting to start quarterback Brock Osweiler over Trevor Siemian this Sunday. Since the last time Osweiler started a game for the Broncos in 2015, the sixth-year signal-caller has gone on quite the journey.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil signed with the Houston Texans in 2016, and went on to put up mediocre numbers at best. The experiment with the Texans didn't last long, as the team opted to trade him to the Cleveland Browns during the offseason, but eventually ended up cutting him prior to the start of the 2017 campaign. From there, Osweiler returned to where it all started, Denver. It's been the Siemian show for quite some time, but Head Coach Vance Joseph clearly wants to see if someone else can get the offense shifted into gear, as the team tries to improve on its 3-4 record.
Here's a look at the Broncos' next four opponents: at the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, at Oakland Raiders.
Kansas City Chiefs
Through eight games, the Chiefs have proven they're one of the better teams in the NFL with a record of 6-2. Quarterback Alex Smith has been stellar for the team this season, as he's currently the second-leading passer in the NFL with 2,181 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Offensively, the Chiefs are clicking, but the defense is still not performing at the level it's been known to in the past; however, Monday's game against the Broncos might've shown a change in the tide.
By games end, the Chiefs had forced five turnovers with two of them being fumbles, and three interceptions. Cornerback Marcus Peters also forced one of those fumbles, which he recovered himself and ran into the end zone. We'll see if the Chiefs can continue to keep up this level of play in the second half of the season.
Here's a look ahead to the Chiefs next four weeks: at Dallas Cowboys, bye week, at New York Giants, Buffalo Bills.
Los Angeles Chargers
When the Bolts started the first month of the season 0-4, many counted them out, but Head Coach Anthony Lynn's group had other plans. The Chargers went on to rattle off three consecutive victories, but ran into a high-powered New England Patriots offense, conducted by none other than quarterback Tom Brady. No. 12 was up to his usual ways, slinging the ball for 333 yards, and a touchdown, but the story of the day was Chargers running back Melvin Gordon.
Gordon has established himself as one of the premier backs in the league, and on Sunday he introduced himself to Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. On his 14 carries, the former University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger rushed for 132 yards, and a touchdown. His longest run of the day came on an 87-yard rush, and added one reception for seven yards. Unfortunately for the Chargers, Gordon's big day wasn't enough to beat the Pats.
This is how the Chargers next four games will shake out: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, at Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns.
