One Sneaky Big Question for Every AFC West Team

What’s going on, guys! Today we’re continuing our series of ‘Sneaky Big Questions’ by looking at the AFC West, a division that boasted the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Next, we’ll take a look at the AFC East. Let’s check it out!

Los Angeles Chargers

Q: How much hype would there be around Justin Herbert and this team if they were in Chicago, Dallas, or New York?

It’s no secret that the Chargers are one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL heading into 2021, yet nobody is talking about them. Justin Herbert had a historic season in 2020 and they added Rashawn Slater, which was one of my favorite picks of the first round. This LA team is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball and still, nobody in Los Angeles cares because 1) They are the 2nd most popular team in LA 2) They lost a large chunk of their San Diego fan base by moving to Los Angeles.

This all begs the question: How much hype would be around this team if they were in a different market where the fans actually cared? If you polled every NFL fan in the country and asked them who they root for as a team, the Chargers are probably in the bottom two franchises alongside Jacksonville. From what I’ve heard from friends and relatives in the area is that nobody cares about the Chargers, they’re the Clippers of the NFL landscape in LA. You have to wonder what kind of excitement a city like New York or Philly or Chicago would have if they had a generational talent like Herbert for the next 10+ years. Just imagine how we would be talking about the Broncos if their roster was the same, but you replaced Drew Lock with Herbert.

I believe LAC will sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team this season and finish second in the AFC West. They did lose quite a few pieces on defense, but Brandon Staley can’t be as bad in close games as Anthony Lynn was, he just can’t be. I’m expecting big things from this Charger team…even if nobody seems to care about them.

Denver Broncos

Q: Why did the Broncos do Phillip Lindsay dirty like that?

Phillip Lindsay’s journey to the NFL was no walk in the park. Despite an impressive career at the University of Colorado, Lindsay went undrafted in 2018 before signing with his hometown Broncos. Lindsay became the first and only undrafted offensive rookie to get voted to the Pro Bowl…WHILE living at his parent’s house! Lindsay was a hometown kid, he was a huge fan favorite, and he started his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Denver opted to not re-sign him this offseason and I cannot for the life of me figure out why.

I was shocked to see the Broncos trade up to take Javonte Williams with the 35th overall pick. I’ am not a proponent of taking running backs with 1st and 2nd round picks, as there was plenty of solid talent still on the board like Trevon Moehrig, Christian Barimore, and Teven Jenkins. Not to mention, they also had to send Atlanta a 4th rounder in the process as well. I’m not sure what the Broncos had against Phillip Lindsay, who only garnered $2.25 million from the Texans. He was never a receiving back, but he’s a shifty runner that averaged 4.8 YPC during his time with Denver. You hate to see a hometown kid that produced at an elite level get disrespected like that and I think most Broncos fans would agree that he should still be wearing the orange and blue.

Las Vegas Raiders

Q: Is it time for another rebuild?

The Raiders have been one of the most disappointing franchises of the 21st century, as they’ve made the playoffs just once since 2003. The Gruden era in Oakland/Vegas has been nothing short of a disaster. He has a 19-29 record in his first three seasons, they haven’t drafted well, and he’s had multiple sideline blowups. Gruden was out of the NFL for over a decade, and the way the game of football is played has changed so much since he left for the booth. It seems that the league has passed him by and this team continues to hover around 7-9 every year.

It’s not entirely his fault, but the biggest roadblock that stands in the Raiders’ way is that they’re in the same division as Patrick Mahomes for the next 10+ years. The best they can hope for every year is a Wild Card birth, and with Derek Carr under center, their ceiling is limited. They did add some solid pieces this offseason with Yannick Ngakoue, Casey Hayward, Alex Leatherwood, and Trevon Moehrig, but looking at their roster there just isn’t a lot of star power on offense and the play-calling has been suspect during Gruden’s tenure. If this team finishes 6-11 or 7-10 this year…it has to be time to look towards the future. Trade Derek Carr, fire Gruden, and try and find your next franchise QB in the 2022 Draft. I see this team finishing 3rd…possibly even 4th in the AFC West this year and if that’s the case, it’s time to clean house.

Kansas City Chiefs

Q: Are the Chiefs now kind of…boring?

Unless you’ve lived under a rock, you know that the Chiefs are in line to succeed the Patriots as the NFL’s next dynasty. In Mahomes’ three years as a starter, KC has lost in the AFC championship game, won the Super Bowl, and lost the Super Bowl…pretty damn good. The NFL has always been a league of parity and every year we see “worst to first” teams that come out of nowhere. As sports fans, we are always looking for the next “Flavor of the month” and we get bored/annoyed with the teams that consistently make deep playoff runs. The Patriots became the most hated team in the NFL because they were so good for 20 years and it just got tiresome. “Oh great, yet another Super Bowl featuring Brady and Belichick”.

I feel that we are kind of getting there with the Chiefs…at least a tiny bit. If Kansas City does make it to the Super Bowl again, we’re going to start getting tired of Mahomes and this team. So the question has to be asked: Are the Chiefs kind of boring? Yes, we know the Mahomes/Kelce/Hill stack is electric and obviously, you would rather watch them, than a team like the Giants. However, we also know that there is a 95% chance that this team is winning the AFC West, so to me, I’m kind of over the Chiefs being so dominant. I prefer a team like Buffalo, Tennessee, or Baltimore to take down Kansas City and control the AFC. If the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl again this year, I think the groans will start to mount.

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