NFL AFC West Week 5 Preview
There are just three games on the AFC West Week 5 card this week. Kansas City is back from its bye and will be looking to remain undefeated while the Chargers head to the Black Hole to play hated rival Oakland. Before we get into the week’s 2010 AFC West matchups, let’s take a peek at some of the more interesting numbers in the division thus far.
PASSING YARDS: Kyle Orton, Denver –1,419, RUSHING YARDS: Darren McFadden, Oakland – 392, RECEIVING YARDS: Bandon Lloyd, Denver –454, TACKLES: Steve Gregory, San Diego, D.J. Williams, Denver—30, SACKS: Shaun Phillips, San Diego—6, INTERCEPTIONS: Antoine Cason, San Diego, Brandon Flowers, Kansas City—2.
SUN, OCT 10 TIME (ET)
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Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts 1:00 PM CBS – Who would have thought the Kansas City Chiefs would be the NFL’s only undefeated team? Are they recipients of good fortune or could they be reaping the fruits of wise draft decisions and team chemistry? Either way we’ll find out what KC is made of when they take on Peyton Manning, who leads the league with 11 touchdowns and a 112.2 passer rating, and the high-powered Colts this weekend. Indy has had a rough launch and is 0-2 in the AFC South for the first time. Their mediocre start is due in large part to the nonexistence of a real rushing game. Indianapolis is 29th (75.5 ypg) on the ground offensively, rushing for fewer than 60 yards in three of four games. In contrast, the Chiefs have relied heavily on its rushing attack, and are ranked third in the NFL. That will definitely be a problem for the Colts who are 29th against the run, yielding 149.5 per contest. Kansas City has lost in each of its four trips to Indianapolis and is 1-9 against the Colts. If the Colts can establish a running game they could end the Chiefs run, leaving the NFL without a 4-0 team for the first time since 1970.
The odds makers have the Colts as a -1 point favorite with an over/under of 46.
PREDICTION: Indianapolis
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Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM CBS – Kyle Orton is the leading passer in the NFL, but I think that’s more a testament to the Broncos lack of a running game than anything else. Denver who is averaging a league-high 354.8 passing yards, walked away with a 26-20 win at Tennessee on Sunday, as Orton threw for 341 yards, and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Ravens defense got a little help from QB Joe Flacco in a huge 17-14 win over division foe Pittsburgh on Sunday. Flacco led a late drive hitting WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining to rally the Ravens to its second consecutive win. This is setting up to be a quarterback duel but without balance on offense. I don’t give the Broncos much of a chance in this one. I expect this Ravens defense –which ranks 1st in passing yards allowed will be well prepared for this meeting in Mobtown.
The odds makers have the Ravens as a -7 point favorite with an over/under of 40.
PREDICTION: Baltimore
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San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders 4:15 PM CBS – Well, the Raiders have proven they can score more points with Bruce Gradkowski after he replaced Jason Campbell at quarterback, but unfortunately, they can’t stop anybody on defense. The Raiders are fifth in the AFC, averaging 354.2 yards of total offense after finishing 31st in the league last year with 266, but came up short again last week, losing 31-24 to Houston as their run stoppers surrendered 249 rushing yards. This could work out well for a San Diego team, who, after a slow start to the season will try to build on its 41-10 thumping of the Arizona when they travel to the Black Hole to kick off against their bitter rivals from the East Bay, a team they have dominated for nearly a decade. San Diego has won 13 in a row over Oakland by an average of almost 15 points per game. QB Philip Rivers ranks among the league leaders with 1,328 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and a 102.8 passer rating. He has hit favorite target TE Antonio Gates for six of San Diego’s 14 touchdowns. The running game ranks 3rd overall with main contributors Mike Tolbert, who had a career-high 100 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries last week, and first-round pick Ryan Mathews who will return after sitting out against the Seahawks with a right ankle injury. If the Bolts can get a good game out of rookie Mathews in this one, they win it.
The odds makers have the Chargers as a -6 point favorite with an over/under of 45.
PREDICTION: San Diego
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