NFL: AFC West 2006 Predictions

Last year's division champ, the Denver Broncos, look to be a strong contender again this year. Jake Plummer came off one of his best playing years to date, and if he continues, the Broncos will be hard to beat. Also new on the roster in the quarterback postion is Jay Cutler. Assumed to be Plummer's successor, Cutler is much hyped, with the talent to back it up. Currently fighting for the number 2 position behind Plummer, he is likely to take that spot over Bradley Van Pelt. You do have to wonder if the efforts that the Broncos made to acquire Cutler might give Plummer a pause.

There is a good bit of stability in the Broncos roster, as a lot of long time team mates are still there (for that all important "chemistry"). The Broncos are the only AFC West team that has not replaced either the quarterback or head coach.

And with depth in the running back position, the Broncos have a lot of weapons. Special teams are the focus of the preseason this year, with punt and kickoff returns getting a lot of attention. This was Denver's poorest area in 2005. If all goes well for the

Broncos, I predict a division win, and an overall record of 11-5.

The Kansas City Chiefs are fading a bit. In 2004, they looked unstoppable, and then disintegrated. In 2005, they played well at first, then faded and failed to make the playoffs. Offense is always the Chiefs' strong point, but with the loss of Al Saunders, you hope that his assistants that remained can keep the offense jumping. New head coach Herm Edwards may be the boost that the Chiefs need this year to keep going full steam through the whole season without fading. This will be the most interesting development to watch with the team under Edwards' hand. The move to have Larry Johnson become the full time running back, and Trent Green as starting QB certainly will help as well.

Success for the Chiefs is really dependent on their defense. If Edwards can craft a better defense, then we can look forward to the Chiefs making a brief run for the division.

I predict the Chiefs to have a 9-7 season.

The San Diego Chargers are the Broncos' competition for division title. If Philip Rivers lives up to expectations, they certainly could be the team to beat. There are still some who question whether or not getting rid of Drew Brees was a good thing, especially after how strongly the Chargers played last year. This will put extra pressure on Rivers to step up to the plate. And if he can't, the Chargers do not have a seasoned back up quarterback to take over. Of course, they can always use LaDanian Tomlinson to throw if needed! If Rivers struggles, expect LT to use his throwing arm. The Chargers again have a tough road schedule late in the season, so the december game against Denver will be critical if they are to win the division.

My prediction is an 11-5 record, with the Chargers winning the division only if they are able to beat the Broncos.

The Oakland Raiders have been bottom feeding in this division for the last few years. You have to wonder what it was about the 'tuck rule' that could so utterly decimate the Raiders to the point that they haven't even been able to muster up a halfway decent season the last few years. It could also have something to do with the revolving door for head coaches and quarterbacks. This year, the Raiders have a new one of each. Aaron Brooks is the newest quarterback, and Al Davis rehired coach Art Shell. The Raiders also did not take good advantage of the draft this year, which, given their record, gave them the opportunity to really shine here.

I don't see Brooks as having the consistent leadership required to boost the morale of the Raiders into a winning organization. Randy Moss has been very quiet for the Raiders as far as production goes, and very quiet in general. We need to watch what chemistry develops between him and Brooks this season.

My prediction is that the Raiders will be only marginally better than last year with a 5-11 record.

As a wrap, the division order from top to bottom will be:
Broncos
Chargers
Chiefs
Raiders