NFL AFC West Week 13 Preview
The Kansas City Chiefs have finally put some distance between them and second place in the AFC West, but San Diego and Oakland are within just one and two games respectively of challenging for top spot in the division with over a month of football left to play.
Before we jump into the previews of this week’s matchups, let’s take a look at some of the divisions more interesting stats. Here are the AFC West leaders in some key statistical categories after Week 12:
Despite the Broncos two-game-losing skid, quarterback Kyle Orton as overtaken San Diego’s Phillip Rivers as the NFL’s leading passer in yards with 3,370. Too bad this hasn’t equated to wins for Denver. It’s even more disappointing when your No. 1 receiver—Brandon Lloyd—leads the league in reception yardage with 1,122.
It’s not surprising that the Chiefs Jamaal Charles leads the division and has now moved into second place in rushing yards overall, racking up 1,021 for the season. Charles is a huge factor in Kansas City’s success.
Meanwhile, San Diego’s top-ranked defense continues to dominate opponents, and is a major reason why the Chargers have once again been able to perform a second half surge. Shaun Phillips has been getting after the oppositions QBs with 10 sacks while Antoine Cason has picked off passes in the past two games, leading the AFC West with four.
Now let’s take a quick look at each NFC West Week 13 match up’s.
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SUN, DEC 5, 2010 TIME (ET)
Denver at Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS –The Chiefs will be looking to extend its lead in the AFC West by taking the second of two games against the visiting Broncos on Sunday.
Knowshon Moreno and Kyle Orton both had career days as Denver steamrolled the Kansas City Chiefs 49-29 at Mile High just four weeks ago.
The Broncos scored 21 points in the first quarter and by the half were leading 35-10. In that game Matt Cassel threw for 469 yards and four touchdowns, despite outscoring Denver in the second half, but could not overcome the deficit.
Cassel has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,307 yards for 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season, but the main contributor for the KC offense has been the power running back tandem of Jamaal Charles who has 1,021 and three touchdowns and Thomas Jones who has 712 yards and five touchdowns.
However, the ground threat is not the only worry for Denver as lofty wide out Dwayne Bowe is emerging as KC’s No. 1 receiver with 58 catches for 885 yards and 14 touchdowns.
For the Broncos, it’s been a tough year as the team has just three wins and is likely to miss the postseason for the fifth consecutive season.
The upside to Denver’s year is quarterback Kyle Orton who has completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 3,370 yards –first in the NFL– with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. Not bad considering Orton has been hurried, chased, and eventually sacked 29 times. His favorite target has been Brandon Lloyd with 58 catches for 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns. Lloyd has 32 catches and seven touchdowns in just the past three games
The downside, if you had to pick just one, has to be Denver’s dismal running game. RB Knowshawn Moreno has been the main ball carrier, but he has just 472 yards for the year and four touchdowns.
Equally as disappointing is the Broncos defense that has allowed 100 points in the past three games and has allowed an NFL-high 323 points under first-year defensive coordinator Don Martindale.
Those numbers are going to hurt when they face a Chiefs’ offense that has scored 102 points in the past three weeks.
Kansas City has enough pieces to win this one, with only its pass defense being in question. If they can halt Orton just a smidgen, they win this one to even the season series.
PREDICTION- Kansas City
Oakland at San Diego 4:05 PM CBS –San Diego has won four straight games and has suddenly found itself in second place in the AFC West after a 36-14 win at Indianapolis last Sunday. But they are not out of the woods yet, as Oakland is trailing by just one game.
The Chargers’ defense scored more than their offense did on Sunday, retuning two interceptions for touchdowns while the offense scored one touchdown and settled for five field goals.
As for the Raiders, their running machine has run out of gas during its two-game losing skid. Oakland had 16 yards on 12 carries in a loss to Miami on Sunday and it has 77 yards total in the past two games.
The quarterback situation in Oakland hasn’t helped matters either and it just got worse as Bruce Gradkowski has re-injured a shoulder that kept him out five games. That means Jason Campbell may be the starter for maybe the rest of the season. Oh the horrors, we all remember when Cable benched Campbell twice this season, and if that happens it means the Raiders will have to go to No. 3 quarterback Kyle Boller.
Defensively Oakland is still a work in progress, and ranks 5th against the pass while allowing 23.3 points and 335.4 yards per game.
San Diego’s Phillip Rivers will need to pay special attention in keeping the ball away from Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha. Rivers is having a huge year completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,362 yards for 23 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.
The ground game is improving in San Diego and despite a rash of injuries, and the defense has been fierce allowing just 20.5 points and 273.5 yards per game.
Two weeks ago, I would have liked the Raiders chances of pulling off the upset, but with the unknown at quarterback and the running game sputtering and misfiring, I have to go with a resurrected Chargers in this one.
PREDICTION- San Diego
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