AFC West Week 2 Preview & Picks

NFL AFC West Week 2 Preview

There are three AFC West home-openers in Week 2 with just the Chiefs traveling to Cleveland after winning their home-opener last Monday night. Here I take a quick look at each Week 2 match up. Don’t forget to check back every week, as I will be giving you my free picks for the AFC West all season long right here on sportbooklists.com.

SUN, SEP 19 TIME (ET)

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Kansas City at Cleveland 1:00 PM CBS – Kansas City pulled of the improbable at a wet Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, beating  four-time defending AFC West champions San Diego, 21-14 in their 2010 home-opener.

Running back Jamaal Charles turned in a solid performance with 92 rushing yards and one touchdown while Dexter McCluster registered a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Quarterback Matt Cassel struggled in the downpour, finishing with just 68 yards and a touchdown on 10 competed passes on 22 attempts. Even though the passing game still needs some work, the Chiefs could easily start the season 2-0 to lead the AFC West as they prepare for a bout at the Dawg Pound.

As for the Cleveland Browns, they are already off to a rough start losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. It is doubtful that they can get past a much-improved Kansas City Chiefs team.

This game is likely to carry some ill feelings, as the Chiefs have not forgotten when tight end Brad Cottam had his neck broken by Cleveland safety Abram Elam and high by outside linebacker Matt Roth last December.

Paradoxically, the Chiefs are underdogs in this matchup with the Browns a -1 point favorite, but I really can’t see Jake Delhomme and company getting the win here.

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Seattle at Denver 4:05 PM FOX – Pete Carroll had his Seahawks primed and ready, easily defeating a team expected to challenge for the NFC West title.

Seattle’s defense which ranked 24th and allowed an average of 368.0 yards last season, held San Francisco to 263 total yards and helped limit two-time Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore to 38 yards on 17 carries while forcing two turnovers, and including Marcus Trufant’s 32-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Meanwhile the Broncos defense fell apart in the latter half in their bout with the Jags. Quarterback Kyle Orton was sacked three times and hit on several other occasions, behind a struggling O-line. Orton finished 21 of 33 for 295 yards with a touchdown, but again under pressure, threw a game-changing interception with less than a minute left.

That same line also had its share of difficulty opening running lanes as the Broncos rushed for just 89 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.

It was a frustrating day for RB Knowshon Moreno who ran for a mere 60 yards on 15 attempts.

If the Seattle defense can repeat its performance in Week 1, this is going to be an early road win for the boys from the Emerald City.

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St. Louis at Oakland 4:05 PM FOX – The Raiders defense that was supposed to be the backbone of this year’s squad, crumbled against the Titans, but did somehow manage some big plays.

They sacked QB Vince Young twice, while containing power running back Chris Johnson for most of the first quarter, until he ripped of a 70-yard run in the second.

From there it all seemed to kind of unravel. The offense didn’t perform much better. QB Jason Campbell’s Oakland debut was plagued with miscues and the passing game suffered.

But you can put some of the blame on his receivers who dropped several passes the included several that could have been possible touchdowns. One shiny spot for the Raiders was its running game.

RB Darren McFadden had 95 yards on the ground, not to mention 55 receiving yards. Not bad for a day’s work.  He will now go head-to-head with the Rams’ Stephen Jackson, who didn’t turn in quite the numbers we have all come to expect, netting just 81-yards in the Rams loss to Arizona.

The highlight for the Rams was long anticipated NFL debut of QB San Bradford. Although the St. Louis passing attack was not stellar, Bradford showed his ability to take command and become the leader that the Rams so desperately need.

If Oakland can stop the Rams’ running game, they could force Bradford to the air early on, which could make for some key rookie mistakes.

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Jacksonville at San Diego 4:15 PM CBS – Both teams experienced upsets in Week 1, just with diverse outcomes. While the Jaguars squeezed by the Broncos 24-17 in their home-opener behind game-leading 299 offensive yards, the heavily favored Chargers lost a waterlogged fight against the Chiefs on the road.

Jacksonville got a solid effort from running back Maurice Jones-Drew who finished the game with 98 yards on 23 carries. However, the biggest and most welcome surprise came from QB  David  Garrard as he turned in one of his best performances ever, throwing for 170 yards while completing 16 of 21 passes and three TDs.

Again, the Chargers were reverse reflections, as the anticipated NFL debut of RB Ryan Mathews was marred with inconsistency and turnovers.

It wasn’t much better for QB Phillip Rivers but he did finish the debacle with 298 yards and a pair of TDs.

Both defenses played well against their first week’s opponents running game, especially Jacksonville.  This could spell problem for Mathews, so it’s likely that head coach Norv Turner will deploy the air assault early on to attack a Jaguars weak secondary.

It will be quite the opposite for Jacksonville, as they will give a weakened San Diego front seven a healthy dose of Jones-Drew.

This one is too close to call, but if I have to make a choice –the Jaguars.