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Thursday Night Football: LA Chargers (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
We have now seen a glimpse of each team in action in this still very young NFL season. Now, we begin Week 2 with an intriguing showdown in what I believe to be the best division in the entirely league. I suspect that all four teams in the AFC West have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs, and even in winning the division title. They all have quality quarterbacks, and they all seem to have decent talent on both sides of the football. That makes this the most formidable division in my eyes.
However, there is still one obvious team that remains the team to beat. Clearly, I am referring to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a star quarterback, and one of the most successful head coaches of all time. They also have some serious talent on both sides of the football, and plenty of experience in deep runs in each of the past four playoffs. Remember, they have made it to the last four straight AFC Championship Games, and went to two straight Super Bowls. They almost made it three in a row last season, but were denied by the suddenly red hot Bengals in the title game. Otherwise, they would have had a shot at winning another Super Bowl.
True, they lost some talent, most notably Tyreek Hill. It remains a question how effective they will be during the course of the regular season. However, they looked pretty good last weekend at Arizona. It sure seems like the offense will still be able to put up points, and the defense figures to be able to keep those leads, if the offense keeps building them.
Meanwhile, the Chargers are a team on the rise. They showed flashes of brilliance last season, although ultimately, they fell short of qualifying for the postseason. This season could be their breakthrough, but they are still in test mode until they reach the playoffs, at least. Justin Herbert figures to be a future star quarterback, and is already considered relatively elite. Still, the Chargers remain unproven, despite some people already having crowned them the team to beat in the AFC West, with some people even believing them good enough to reach the Super Bowl, and even to win it.
Again, for me they remain an unproven entity until they actually achieve something. Qualifying for the playoffs would be the first thing to achieve. Right now, the Chargers certainly appear good enough to be taken seriously for that. However, I am not quite ready to believe that they can dethrone Kansas City as the best team in the AFC West. Remember, KC has now won six straight division titles, and have reached the postseason every year save one dating back to 2013 (they missed the playoffs in 2014). Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes already seems to qualify as one of the best coach-quarterback tandems in recent NFL history, and possibly in NFL history, period. The offense looked fantastic last weekend, and the defense also got the job done. They are a disciplined franchise, and they know how to win. That is why they remain my pick to win this game and, ultimately, to win the division, barring some serious bad luck, particularly with injuries.
My pick: Kansas City
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