AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
This AFC West is the NFL version of a great movie trailer that gets everyone excited but disappoints once the movie starts. Expectation ruins the actual experience.
This offseason has been a so-called arms race. The Las Vegas Raiders trade Davante Adams and sign Chandler Jones in free agency. The Los Angeles Chargers brought in Khalil Mack and JC Jackson and bolstered their previously soft interior defense.
Kansas City Chiefs from the likes of Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu, but make sure to pass Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis First-round pick to bolster defense. The Denver Broncos made arguably the biggest step forward by acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Broncos’ monstrous 11-10 win over Jimmy Garoppolo’s San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Team, the perfect end to a bad day for the department. Yes, victory is victory. But not all victories are created equal. Not all victories are good victories. Denver played badly all night. Garoppolo’s futility allowed the Broncos to escape with an underplayed win that is becoming a regular occurrence against subpar games. Last week, the Broncos were three points behind the Houston Texans heading into the fourth quarter. The Texans are one of two teams currently in the league without a win.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are dealing with the fact that they’re starting now the quarterback they want to get rid of, but in addition to cutting his There’s no better option than a salary and having him on the bench.
Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
For emphasis How bad was Denver’s offense Sunday, with the team making three-in-three outs on nine separate occasions, the most for Wilson — leading the offense in a quarterback’s 11-year career. During the team’s first 11 drives, Wilson averaged 5.4 yards per attempt, According to NFL Next Generation Stats. Overall, the team has converted one of its seven red zone trips to touchdowns so far this season.
In all fairness, some of those quarterbacks’ old magic came late in the fourth quarter as the game went on the line. With 10:12 left in the game, Wilson completed 5 of 7 passes and created with his legs to avoid pressure and get on key 3s and 6s on San Francisco’s 36-yard line Pick up 12 yards.
Even so, seeing the wrong pitching, miscommunication on the line, and the inability to properly block the 49ers’ defensive line shows that How disjointed Denver’s offense is
“We’re still learning from each other,” Wilson told reporters. “We’re very close. I’ve been involved in some good offense and I think we have a chance to be very, very good … I’m excited because I can feel – everything is so close. Once we do, in With our defense, we’re going to be unstoppable, I think. We have a chance.” 2- 1 record keeps the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs ahead in the AFC West. The current standings are more of an indictment of both teams than a reflection of quality performance. On Sunday, Kansas City found a way to lose against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts couldn’t get their offense on track for most of the day. The Chiefs did an excellent job of confusing veteran quarterback Matt Ryan with his well-paid offensive line throughout the game. Kansas City created multiple free runs at Ryan to disrupt Indianapolis’ game plan. However, a shot missed and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike free throw defensive lineman Chris Jones in After the third successful stop, a Patrick Mahomes interception led to the Colts’ comeback victory. All of this came after a small sideline spat between quarterback and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (AP Photo/Zach Bollinger)
In the end, this is little things. The Chiefs are still unwinding their new offensive setup, with Mahomes taking the blame for the loss in his postgame press conference. “We must unite in Together. Start with me. I have some throws that are on the back of the player and not in front of him. There in some cases we just barely get out of it… whenever you’re hitting a tough game like this When playing, you have to perform at a higher level and we have to learn from it. Our schedule doesn’t get any easier. We have a tough game [against] Tampa next Sunday, the defense is good, so we Gotta get better fast. If we don’t, we don’t want these [losses] to start piling up. We want to make sure we get back on that winning train.” Meanwhile, the charger is dealing with multiple critical damage. Defensive end Joey Bosa didn’t return when Los Angeles was beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-10 after a groin injury. Left tackle LaShawn Slater suffered a bicep injury. Quarterback Justin Herbert has already played with a fractured rib cartilage. “I just don’t want to quit the team,” Herbert told reporters after the decisive defeat. Center Cory Linsley (knee), wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) and corner Guard JC Jackson (knee) didn’t even play. The quality of usability and depth plays an important role in the success of a team. If its top players are unhealthy or playing poorly, expectations have to be lowered. Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders are allowed to have some hope, even though they are the only team this season A team that started 0-3. Sunday’s performance in their division makes it possible for them to get back into the game.
Sure, the Chiefs and Broncos are already two games ahead. According to the Associated Press, six teams in the Super Bowl era are 0-3 in the playoffs.
Quarterback Derek Carr even hinted at the postgame press conference that some people must be practicing do better in.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
“you Do your best to get it right in practice, and if you don’t get it right in practice, then you don’t expect it to play properly,” Carr said. “We have to look at this from everyone’s point of view and say, ‘Okay, I have to get better at this, this and this.'”
The rest of the AFC saw the Miami Dolphins lead 3-0. The Buffalo Bills may have struggled against their division rivals this weekend, but they’re clearly one of the best teams in the league.
Lamar Jackson is back in MVP form in the Baltimore Ravens’ 2-1 start. Jacksonville is much tougher than expected and now has a true pro under head coach Doug Pederson to lead the team. Forced to complete the save. Even after a rocky start, the AFC West shouldn’t completely fall apart. Expectations just need to be adjusted. Maybe the sector isn’t as good as everyone initially predicted.
Even so, the final winner can still have it – the end of the movie.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL’s Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.
