FanPost

An Honest Look at the AFC West

Look, in recent years the Chiefs have been more dominant against the AFC West than Big Red at a buffet. However, this year feels noticeably different than years past. For instance Andy Reid has lost a lot of weight, and medium red sounds more like a ten year old ordering steak than an offensive mastermind. But, before we get to the sad part let’s do a recap of the division because it's fun and we’ve won most of them and talking about winning is fun.

Chargers:

Since Reid has joined the Chiefs we’ve been 8-2 against the Bolts. Our offense has been especially effective to the tune of 23.8 ppg. Considering that two of those games were played in week 17’s with all-pro backup Chase Daniel(s) (I put that there cause after 5 years of honestly trying, I still call him Chase Daniels in conversation) it’s safe to say that the Big Reid Machine has been more consistent than Pete Rose applying for reinstatement. Speaking of gambling, the only safer bet than the Chiefs beating Philip Rivers and company, is betting on whoever the Chiefs play in the divisional round. Furthermore, the Chiefs have humiliated the Chargers to the point that the team had to relocate to Los Angeles in order to save face. I admit, there’s no evidence to back this point but the Chargers organization hasn’t given a logical reason for leaving San Diego yet so who are we to assume it isn’t because of the Chiefs? Between them, and the Vegas Raiders we’re a Boulder Broncos away from history folks. To sum up, Reid has kept the Chargers on the ropes better than Ben Franklin holding a kite that one time.

Raiders:

Once again, 8-2 in the Reid Era and frankly one Terrance Mitchell from 9-1. However, beating up on the Raiders doesn’t seem like a real chest thumper considering the team has made one playoff appearance in 16 years. The Chiefs defense has performed very well against the silver and black making Carr and Cooper look more like Kroeger and Kroeger than AC/DC. I mean:

One of those guys is drummer for Nickelback and the other is an average quarterback.

Regardless of the Chiefs recent success, the Raiders have been heralded as a team on the rise despite the fact that this man owns the team:

Who hired this man to coach the team for a DECADE:

And paid this man $25 million a year:

Look I’d love to say the Chiefs beating up on the Raiders is impressive but we are talking about a football team that plays football on a baseball field.

Broncos:

5-5. You could call it the Peyton Manning effect or the Trevor Siemian effect. Either way it's a wonderful example of how hard it is to win when your QB is a combination of Tyreek Hill’s throwing accuracy, Trent Richardson’s awareness, and Rex Grossman’s arm strength. After opening 0-5 against the eventual SB50 champs, the Chiefs struck back with their own 5-0 streak that is perhaps more impressive because, they made Gary Kubiak’s heart attack him, shut down a "good" linebacker in Von Miller, and made Sports Authority go bankrupt. However, the Warpaint’s triumph as superior horse could also be seen as the Broncos failures. This is a team that made Jamaal Charles bad, something Todd Haley could never do, no matter how hard he tried. One that heralds one of the best GM’s in football, but even that comes with a caveat because how could you trust the judgment of a man who has made that much money over the course of his career and not fix his fucking teeth.

And now the sad part: winning in the AFC West is important and impressive but, we’re talking about a division that has yielded 1 Super Bowl champion, 3 Super bowl appearances, and 6 AFC Championship trips since 2000. While our recent stretch has been a confidence booster, it plays step-child to the overall lack of recent playoff success that every Chiefs fan knows all too well. Winning the AFC West then getting bumped by the Tennessee Titans is like taking a really nice girl to prom and then watching her leave with a sophomore. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re a struggling young quarterback away from having a struggling young quarterback and a bad defense. That combo doesn't win NFL games and it won’t win the AFC West. Our schedule features lots of tough games early which is a hazardous way for a young quarterback to build up confidence. Our division features the best pass rushers league wide, while our defense has one consistent pass rusher, who is used as a safety for some reason.

With that being said, here’s my expert predictions for the AFC West in 2018:

1. Chiefs

T-3. Raiders

T-3. Broncos

T-3. Chargers

Look am I really a Chiefs fan if I don’t completely, irrationally hype myself up only to have my dreams crushed in January?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.