Previewing the 2022 NFL Season: AFC West Edition
This is it...This is the division the entire league has been dying to see play out, and with good reason: every single team has the quarterbacks, the roster and the coaching staff to go all the way. Ranking these teams was a nightmare, if I’m being honest. When the season is over I’d be very curious to see how accurate these predictions ended up being because as it is, any one of these teams could win the division and possibly the Super Bowl.
Without further ado, the AFC West: 1. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The Chargers made their formidable defense that much more so with the off-season acquisition of Khalil Mack to their defensive line alongside stud pass rusher Joey Bosa. That alone makes the Chargers’ defense an absolute nightmare to game plan for, but they also happen to have one of the best safeties in the league in Derwin James lurking in the secondary like the shark in Jaws as well as adding stud cornerback J.C. Jackson to their secondary in free agency. Sound intimidating? It should. We haven’t even gotten to the offense yet. On the other side of the ball opposing teams get to face off against one of the best receivers in the game in Mike Williams and human Swiss army knife Austin Ekeler out of the backfield. Oh yeah, and there’s that Justin Herbert guy under center capable of launching the ball out of his hands down the field at will. Make no mistake, Herbert will be in the MVP race all year this season and he very well could win it if he balls out as much as I think he will. The only question mark with the team is Brandon Staley, the team’s head coach. He did a solid job last year in his rookie season but he also cost his team several games with his bullshit analytics as far as going for it on fourth down instead of taking the easy field goals. Look no further than how he bungled the final game of the season against the Raiders and cost his team a playoff berth. Word is that he’s still going to be aggressive with his decision-making but experience from those painful, self-inflicted losses should make him think twice about making dumb decisions in the future. Frankly, this team is too talented to fail, even with mister analytics and his stubbornness running the show.
2. DENVER BRONCOS
The Broncos have been mired in mediocrity since winning it all in Peyton Manning’s last season. That was SEVEN years ago. Yeah, that makes me feel old as well. Ever since then they’ve had a revolving door at the quarterback position while being buoyed by some very good defenses. The Broncos have been a good quarterback away from being back in the playoff hunt in the AFC...so they went out and traded for a hall of fame quarterback this past March. That player’s name? Russell Wilson, the very same man who was a part of the 2013 legion of boom Seahawks that crushed the Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl that year now takes the reins to mile high’s favorite sports team. People have questioned whether or not Wilson will be enough to catapult the Broncos into the playoffs but those same people are ignorant to the weapons Wilson will have at his disposal once the season kicks off. Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton etc. are all capable of getting open at a moment’s notice against the best secondaries in the league and if somehow they don’t, then Wilson can scramble himself for the necessary yards and then some. The loss of Tim Patrick for the year stings but the Broncos have enough to thrive on offense. The defense, while not on the Chargers’ level, is still stout and speedy, especially up front, and they will get Wilson the ball back frequently during games. You might think I’m overvaluing the Broncos and overhyping them simply because of the addition of Wilson but a playmaker like him at the game’s most important position can’t be understated. Wilson brings more than his rocket arm and speedy legs, he brings the intangibles that every organization looks for in their franchise quarterback: resiliency, determination,
positivity and, most importantly, the ability to be a genuine leader of men. Gonna be a wild season in mile high.
3. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
The Raiders saw all the moves that the Chargers and Broncos were doing during free agency and decided to get in on the fun themselves. Rather than stand pat with the solid team that they had from last year, the Raiders went out and traded for Davante Adams, the best receiver in the game, from the Packers and signed aging but still fierce edge rusher Chandler Jones to pair next to Maxx Crosby on that beastly defensive line. For those of you who don’t know, Derek Carr and Adams went to college together at Fresno State and now, for the first time in their professional careers, they’ll be playing with each other once again and from the looks of it, their connection is as strong as ever. Top to bottom the Raiders are built the right way with plenty of depth across the board so there’s no questioning the legitimacy of their roster. Personally, I want to see how Josh McDaniels does in his second attempt at being a head coach. Everyone remembers how fast he flamed out as Denver’s head honcho back in the day, but by most accounts he has matured and sharpened his leadership skills in the time he’s spent under Belichick during his second stint in New England over the last ten years or so. That being said, his reputation as a play-caller and coach may have improved, but don’t think the powers that be in Indianapolis have forgotten when he spurned them at the last minute to return to the Patriots as offensive coordinator rather than be their head coach. Yes, the Colts and Raiders play this year. 2021 was a rough, ROUGH year for the Raiders, but 2022 could make that turbulent nightmare of a season nothing more than a distant memory.
4. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
All good things must come to an end. It feels weird to be writing the Chiefs as the fourth place finisher in their division considering they’ve won the AFC West six years in a row, but there are several factors that have gone into my fourth place prediction. For one, the loss of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins can’t be understated. This is a much bigger deal than Rodgers losing Adams to the Raiders is. Rodgers has won before Adams and he will also win now that he’s gone. Mahomes now has to compete in a STACKED division where the other three teams got significantly better and his team got worse. Hill was the key to the Chiefs’ high octane offense. His speed and elite route running drew double coverages and took the pressure off of Travis Kelce on obvious passing downs. Now his number one target is going to draw all the attention from opposing defenses because he’s the only legitimate threat in the passing game. Mahomes won’t be able to improvise nearly as much anymore now either. Notice how teams started to pick up on how to stop his scrambling and side-slinging towards the end of last year? Granted the Bills’ epic defensive collapse in the final thirteen seconds of the divisional round doesn’t bode well for my point, but the Bengals figured them out twice and the Chargers, if not for Brandon Staley’s “analytics” would have beaten them up front with their adjustments as well. There’s also fatigue that plays into their ranking. Four straight AFC championship game appearances, two super bowl appearances and one win are incredible accomplishments, but the wear and tear that January and February football takes on the body in so many subsequent years catches up with teams eventually. Mahomes is still Mahomes, no doubt about it, but for the first time in his career the other three teams in his division are just as deep and talented, if not more so, than his current squad, and now he has to beat them without the safety net and game-changer that is Tyreek Hill. Brady dominated before and after Moss and Gronk, Rodgers dominated before Adams etc. Now it’s time for Mahomes to show that he can do the same.
