Entering the season the AFC West was believed to be a three-team race between the San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The race thus far has worked out that way, minus the Chiefs, who have a firm grasp on last place.
Here's how the AFC West shakes out after three weeks:
1. San Diego Chargers (2-1): The Chargers beat our Chiefs of course which puts them in first place, tied with the Raiders. The Chargers next two games -- Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos -- are very winnable. But...we know how the Chargers do in September. That's no guarantee that they'll win those.
2. Oakland Raiders (2-1): The Raiders move to 2-1 and you could argue they should be 3-0 after leading the Buffalo Bills by 18 points last week. I thought Oakland would be in for a rude awakening with consecutive games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots but they're 1-0 on that stretch so far. Are the Raiders really the best team in the division? There's a strong argument that they are.
3. Denver Broncos (1-2): The Broncos nearly beat the Tennessee Titans this weekend losing, 17-14. QB Kyle Orton has struggled but they're still a better team than the Chiefs right now. They'll face the Green Bay Packers next week and the Chargers the week after that.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3): Yup. Hopefully the Chiefs don't get used to this position.