Final Seconds

Denver Broncos 17 Kansas City Chiefs 9

Ryan Succop was the only one who could get points on the board for the Chiefs Sunday. During the early part of the game they were moving the ball very well into Denver territory but they just couldn’t find the end zone to save their lives. The running game was clicking very well with Jamal Charles rushing for 107 yards in the game. The offensive line looked a lot better than have in the past few games. Quarterback Brady Quinn passed for 126 yards and had zero touchdowns and one interception, he is yet to find a groove. The Chiefs defense impressed greatly holding a high powered offensive to only 17 points and keeping the Chiefs in contention for most of the game, but a late touchdown by Denver quarterback Peyton Manning helped give the Broncos the win on Sunday and take a commanding division lead.

Players of the Game for Each Team

Denver-Peyton Manning impressed as he has been doing all season, he threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas City-Running back Jamal Charles had a good game rushing, he rushed 23 times for 107 yards, just wasn’t able to find the end zone unfortunately.

Cincinnati Bengals 34 Oakland Raiders 10

The Oakland Raiders dropped another game on Sunday when they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had a very nice game throwing for 210 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Bengals also had a very good day on the ground, running back Green-Ellis rushed for 129 yards and had one touchdown. It was a very solid performance for the Bengals who have won three games in a row. Carson Palmer had a dreadful day against his old team, he threw for 146 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Bengals are in a tough division but if they keep playing like they have been the last few weeks then they will definitely be a team to watch out for during the last two weeks of the season.

Players of the Game for Each Team

Cincinnati-Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has earned my player of the game honors. This kid threw three touchdowns and had over 200 yards passing to help his team get the victory.

Oakland-It is too hard to find someone on the Oakland team who deserves this award so I will just give kudos to Bengals running back Green-Ellis for rushing for 129 yards and one touchdown.

Baltimore Ravens 16 San Diego Chargers 13 OT

It was a nail biter of a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Diego Chargers. Baltimore was trailing 13-3 with about eight minutes left in the 4^th quarter. Very big plays down the stretch by quarterback Joe Flacco and a 29 yard pass play on 4^th down to running back Ray Rice helped the Ravens force overtime against the Chargers. Justin Tuck made a 38 yard field goal in overtime to give the Ravens the win and a solid strangle hold on the division. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 355 yards and had one touchdown and Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers threw for 228 yards and one touchdown. The defenses for both teams did very well getting to the quarterbacks. Joe Flacco was sacked five times and Phillip Rivers was sacked six times. This was a very good game between both teams that could have gone either way, the Ravens just made the bigger plays in the end to get the W.

Players of the Game for Each Team

Ravens-Quarterback Joe Flacco had an outstanding performance passing for 355 yards and one touchdown and leading his team to game tying and game winning drives.

Chargers-Phillip Rivers did his best to get his team the win with his 228 yard passing performance, however it was just not enough to overcome the tough game that the Ravens brought to the table.

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Week 13 Injuries

I would like to go over some of the injuries that could impact Sundays game between the Carolina Panthers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs

On the Chiefs side wide reciever Dexter McCluster suffered a head injury during Sundays loss to the Denver Broncos and is questionable for the game against the Panthers. McCluster is a very speedy and agile player and it would be very tough on the Chiefs if he can not go Sunday against the Panthers. http://espn.go.com/nfl/injuries/_/team/kc/kansas-city-chiefs

Carolina Panthers

 

On the Panthers side of the ball running back Jonathan Stewart is questionable for Sunday and defensive tackle Ron Edwards will be out for 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury.  http://espn.go.com/nfl/injuries/_/team/car/carolina-panthers

Carolina Panthers @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday 12:00 PM
(Picture from www.kcchiefs.com)

Bottom Dwellers

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The Kansas City Chiefs will be hosting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Chiefs are sitting with a league worst record of 1-10. The Carolina Panthers are only sitting at 3-8 themselves, I believe the Chiefs get a win this Sunday, they have been inching very close in the last couple of games and I believe they pull out a nail biter. This shall be a pretty good game with a 12:00 PM kick off this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

This is a breakdown of the Chiefs and Broncos game that was played on Sunday.

Runaway Bronco

Cincinnati Bengals 28 Kansas City Chiefs 6

It is really starting to get embarrassing for the Kansas City Chiefs. These are professional athletes being paid millions and they can’t manage to even score a touchdown against a sub-par team. It has been getting more difficult every week to sit down and watch the Chiefs. This season has been a major let down after being picked to win the AFC West by some experts and myself personally thought that they would be in the running as the season started to wind down. Unfortunately they are sitting at 1-9 and are making a good case of being the worst team in the NFL. The Bengals manhandled the Chiefs in every aspect of the game on Sunday. The Chiefs had one fumble on the day and no interceptions, but that one fumble made their season total to be 31 turnovers which is just atrocious. Bengal quarterback Andy Dalton went 18/29 and had two touchdowns passing to help his team get the win over the slumping Chiefs. For the Bengals this game put them back at .500 for the season and in the hunt.

New Orleans Saints 38 Oakland Raiders 17

The Saints who started off 0-4 have won 5 of their last 6 games and put themselves at .500 on the year when they whooped up on the Raiders Sunday. Although they are not near as bad as the Chiefs are, the Oakland Raiders are slumping pretty badly themselves. Drew Brees passed 20/27 and had 219 yards and 3 touchdowns on Sunday. This team is starting to show some heart after the loss of key players and their coach due to the bounty scandal. It is nice to see the Saints stepping up and making a late season charge. Carson Palmer threw 22/40 for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns. Palmer however was sacked 3 times and also threw 2 interceptions that allowed the Saints to have very good field position. Raider’s full back Marcel Reece has a good game rushing. It rushed 19 times for 103 yards, he did not find the end zone however, Reece also had 4 receptions for 80 yards. Oakland has almost lost all hope for a shot at the AFC West title, making it a two horse race between the Broncos and Chargers. The Saints however may be making a late season run that would shock many football fans, but it will be very hard to surpass the very talented 9-1 Atlanta Falcons.

Denver Broncos 30 San Diego Chargers 23

This Bronco team is really coming to life and appear to be on a steam roll. Peyton Manning is playing better than ever and the rest of the team is growing around him. I told many of my co-workers a few weeks ago that I would not be the least bit surprised to see the Broncos in the Super Bowl this year. I really believe that this team has the caliber to make it to the big show. Peyton Manning threw for 270 yards on 25/42 passing and had 3 touchdowns and one interception. Manning hit Eric Decker for a 20 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put the lead at 24-9. The Chargers did not fold however, Phillip Rivers who threw for 258 yards and had 2 touchdowns had both of his touchdown passes in the third and fourth quarter to give the Chargers a chance. However thanks to a few Matt Prater field goals and a nice performance by Peyton Manning the Broncos managed to hang on for a 30-23 victory and a 4 game lead in the AFC West. The Broncos appear to be pulling away and getting closer to wrapping up the division. It will take a blunder by them and a big rally from the Chargers for that to change at all.

Crunch Time

Sorry, this post was suppose to be a podcast but I was not able to get it to work. It is from 2 weeks ago.

Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Kansas City Chiefs 13 OT

The Kansas City Chiefs held their first lead during regulation on Monday night when they faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall I thought the team looked a lot better than they have the past few games. They had one turnover which was very costly, but it’s a lot better than their average of 3 per game. The score was 10-10 entering the 4^th quarter and a Pittsburgh field goal gave them the lead with 9 minutes left. On the Chiefs last possession in the 4^th quarter Matt Cassel found Dwayne Bowe for a 27 yard strike to put them in field goal range. Ryan Succop then knocked the field goal through from 46 yards out to send the game to overtime. In overtime on the Chiefs second play, Matt Cassel threw an interception that was returned to the Chiefs 5 yard line. There Shean Shiusam nailed a 23 yard field goal for the win.

Note-Ben Rothlisburger left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and the Chiefs went 2-16 on third down conversions.

Baltimore Ravens 55 Oakland Raiders 20

Ravens gave the Oakland Raiders a thrashing on Sunday. Oakland had turnover and penalty issues. They had 2 lost fumbles and Carson palmer threw 1 interception. The team had a total of 10 penalties for 105 yards. Aside from his 1 interception, Carson Palmer had a pretty good game throwing for 350 yards and 2 tochdowns. Joe Flacko threw for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns and led the Ravens to a 55-20 win over the Raiders. The 55 points scored by the Ravens set a new record for points.

Denver Broncos 36 Carolina Panthers 14

The Denver Broncos offense only scored two touchdowns on Sunday but they still managed to score 36 points. Special teams and defense really put a thrashing on the Panthers. Denver defense sacked Cam Newton 7 times, had a safety, and forced two interceptions which one was returned by cornerback Tony Carter 40 yards for a touchdown. The special teams for Denver were shining also, Matt Prater had two field goals and Trindon Holliday had a 76 yard punt return for a touchdown. Peyton Manning had a solid game throwing for 295 yards and had a touchdown. It was an all-around team effort and led to a 36-14 win for the Broncos putting their record at 6-3 first in the division.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34 San Diego Chargers 24

The Buccaneers had an all-around team win as well on Sunday when they scored 2 touchdowns on offense and one each on defense and special teams to defeat the San Diego Chargers. Phillip Rivers threw for 323 yards and had 3 touchdowns but also had a costly 2 interceptions. Wide Receiver Danario Alexander caught 5 passes from Rivers for 134 yards. Josh Freeman threw for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Buccaneers also scored on a blocked punt by Adam Hayward and they also an 83 yard touchdown return by cornerback Leonard Johnson. With an all-around solid performance by the team and a couple of mistakes by Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the W and improved their record to 5-4.

 

With 7 games left in the regular season, the standings are

Denver 6-3

San Diego 4-5

Oakland 3-6

Kansas City 1-8

That wraps up this week on AFC West Weekly, thank you.

Bucking Broncos

Oakland Raiders 26 Kansas City Chiefs 16

Another week and another loss for the Kansas City Chiefs. They are struggling at basically every aspect of the game. With Brady Quinn getting his second start of the season, it wasn’t at all what he probably expected. He threw the ball 4 times and had 2 completions for 1 yard and threw 1 interception. Quinn was injured in the first half with a head injury and that brought previous Chiefs starter Matt Cassel back into the game. Chiefs just could not get a steady handle on the game, only managing field goals when they reached the red zone. They also ended the game with 4 turnovers, they have been the killer all year. Oakland did not have to do anything fancy on Sunday, they just played a descent game and played a fundamentally sound foot all game which led to a 26-16 victory and improving their record to 3-4. With the decisions of quarterback yet to be sorted out nobody knows what to expect when the Chiefs play San Diego on Thursday night.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team                                                                

Oakland-Kansas City’s defense barely even touched Carson Palmer let alone sack him. Oakland’s blocking was grade A on Sunday and their offensive line deserves the credit.

Kansas City-Matt Cassel played a descent game throwing 20-30 and 218 yards and 1 touchdown, but the real reason I give him the Chiefs player of the game is because of his attitude. He did not pout when Romeo benched him, he just waited for another chance and that shows a lot about Cassel.

Cleveland Browns 7 San Diego Chargers 6

Yes you did read the score correctly, I triple checked. If you watched this game then I give you credit, would have probably had more fun reading the dictionary. It was a very low scoring affair and little offense was produced by either team. The big story for the Browns was rookie running back Trenton Richardson had a very nice game rushing for 122 yards and scored the lone touchdown of the game in the first quarter. Both quarterbacks went back to playing like high school quarterbacks (Rivers 18/34 and 154 yards and Weeden 11/27 129 yards) neither were on their game and that had some to do with the defense of the other team but also just seemed like lack of concentration. You must come into every game ready to go or you will get beat down and it showed on Sunday. San Diego’s only points came off of two Nick Novak field goals. The Chargers dropped their third straight game on Sunday when they lost 7-6 to Cleveland and that dropped their record to 3-4 on the season.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Cleveland-Running back Trenton Richardson helped the Browns get the W on Sunday rushing for 122 yards and one touchdown.

San Diego-Chargers defense did everything they could on Sunday to give them the win. They allowed a scoreless last 3 quarters, but they had no help from the offense and it led to the loss.

Denver Broncos 34 New Orleans Saints 14

A very solid outing by Peyton Manning has put the Broncos in the driver’s seat in the AFC West, they now lead the division with a 4-3 record thanks to the win against the Saints. Manning outshined Brees as the two pro bowl quarterbacks faced off. Manning threw for 305 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22/30 passing, he found Demaryius Thomas 7 times for 137 yards and 1 touchdown. For the fifth straight game Manning passed the 300 yard mark, that is quite impressive even for Peyton Manning. He led his team to a 34-14 thrashing on the still hobbling Saints. Running back Willis McGahee had a solid game for Denver rushing for 122 yards and 1 touchdown to help his team get the victory. With play like this at the quarterback position, a solid run game, and a tough defense, watch out for this team come playoffs.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Denver-The usual Peyton Manning wins my player of the game for Denver. He had another solid game with a 305 yard performance and is looking as good as ever.

New Orleans-No player of the game for the Saints, nobody on the team earned it. Until they come together and play as a team and stop hanging their heads about their troubles then they will not get the wins.

 

One Game Weekend

Jacksonville Jaguars 23 Oakland Raiders 26 OT

It was a fun game to watch and a nice win for the Oakland Raiders to pick up their second victory of the season over the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23 in overtime. The Oakland Raiders trailed 20-6 in the third quarter and it appeared to be heading for another L in the loss column, but with a good defensive second half performance and a good performance by quarterback Carson Palmer they found a way to claw back and force overtime. In overtime wide receiver Cecil Shorts fumbled on Jacksonville’s first possession and then clutch kicker Sebastian Janikowski lined up a 40 yarder and knocked it in for the comeback win by the Oakland Raiders. Although Jaguars were missing starting running back Maurice Jones-Drew and starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert who was injured in the second quarter, the Raiders will still gladly take a much needed victory.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Oakland-Sebastian Janikowski helped in a great way by going 4/5 on field goals including the 40 yard game winner and also was 2/2 on extra points. He scored a total of 14 of the Raiders 26 points.

Jacksonville-Nobody stood out for the Jaguars on Sunday but a fun fact is that kicker Josh Scobee made 3 field goals and now has 178 career field goals which broke the old team mark of 175.

Chiefs News

Big news from the Kansas City Chiefs is that Brady Quinn has been moved to starter for Sunday’s game and Matt Cassel will be the back-up. I know there are people out there who will not support this decision at all, but I am one that is going to stand behind this team and this coaching staff and hope for the best. I will be attending this Sunday’s game and I am really looking forward to seeing a Chiefs victory over their division rivals the Oakland Raiders.

AFC West Standings

Denver Broncos 3-3

San Diego Chargers 3-3

Oakland Raiders 2-4

Kansas City Chiefs 1-5

Crazy Comeback

Kansas City Chiefs 10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38

Another week gone by and another loss for the Kansas City Chiefs. With the loss of Matt Cassel to a head injury last week, the Chiefs started quarterback Brady Quinn on Sunday. This was Quinn’s first start in nearly three years; he threw for 180 yards and no touchdowns. He also had two interceptions in which one was taken to the house for a touchdown by Tampa Bay safety Ronde Barber. It was an all-around fall out for the Chiefs offense on Sunday, Jamal Charles only rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries and as I said before they had little support from the quarterback position. The Chiefs defense played descent and kept it close in the first half keeping the score 7-3 at halftime, but the second half was all Tampa Bay. The final score ended 38-10 in favor of Tampa Bay. It is pretty disappointing for the Chiefs, but they just have to keep on fighting and trying to get better. Anything can happen this season but they need to get it in gear to give themselves any kind of chance.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Tampa Bay-Former Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman had a pretty good game for his squad. He threw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns to help his team get a victory.

Kansas City-This gets harder and harder every week, I suppose I will go with the Chiefs punt return team for giving us our only touchdown of the game off a blocked punt and a waltz into the end zone.

Oakland Raiders 20 Atlanta Falcons 23

The Atlanta Falcons swept the AFC West by defeating Oakland on Sunday. It was not as easy as some may have thought however, Oakland came out and gave Atlanta all they could handle. Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer helped his team with a solid performance at quarterback throwing for 353 yards and 1 touchdown and giving his team a 13-7 halftime lead. On the other side Matt Ryan was very shaky, I personally think this guy is the best quarterback in the league, he just wasn’t all their on Sunday throwing 3 interceptions in the game. He did however do what his team needed and got his kicker Matt Bryant in field goal range. With one second to go in the game and the score all tied at 20-20 Matt Bryant lined up a 55 yard field goal. He pushed all the pressure away and calmly knocked in the 55 yarder to give the Atlanta Falcons the 23-20 win and putting their record at 6-0 making them the only undefeated team in the NFL.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-I will go the clutch kicker Matt Bryant knocking in a 55 yarder to give his team the win. He also made 41 and 20 yard field goals.

Oakland-Quarterback Carson Palmer played a good game that gave his team a chance to win, he threw for 353 yards and 1 touchdown. Unfortunately Oakland came up short and fell to 1-4 on the season.

Denver Broncos 35 San Diego Chargers 24

If you missed the Monday night game then you missed another Peyton comeback. The Chargers held a 24-0 lead going into halftime and I am sure half the viewers called it a night and went to sleep. Little did they know they would wake up and hear the Denver came back and won the game. In the first half it was all Chargers and it was looking as though Rivers was going to have a pretty good game, but it would appear the Broncos went into the locker room with the mindset of a 0-0 score. Manning and the Broncos came out and just punished the Chargers in every aspect of the game. Manning was spectacular throwing for 308 yards on 24-30 passing and 3 touchdowns, most of his stats came in the second half demolishment. Bronco defense also busted up the Chargers offense forcing 5 turnovers (3 interceptions by Rivers) and a punt in the second half. With the Broncos scoring 35 unanswered points in the second half it led to a 35-24 win and a tie in the AFC West with the Chargers, both are currently sitting at 3-3. It was great to see such a great comeback by Manning, this guy is a winner plan and simple.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Denver-Peyton Manning had himself another second half comeback to add to the many he has had in his career. Manning threw 3 touchdowns in the second half to help the Broncos overcome the 24-0 halftime deficit and get the win 35-24.

San Diego-I think I am going to have to set aside a Charger player of the game and give it to the Broncos defense that kept the Chargers out of the end zone the whole second half and also forced 6 Charger turnovers for the game.

AFC 0-3

Baltimore Ravens 9 Kansas City Chiefs 6

First I would just like to say that I am disgusted with my fellow Chiefs fans for cheering when Matt Cassel went down with a head injury on Sunday. No matter how bad a person is playing or what team you are cheering for, you never ever cheer and clap when a person goes down with an injury. With that being said the Chiefs really let an opportunity slip away on Sunday when they faced off against the Ravens.  The story of the game was the four turnovers that the Chiefs gave up. A huge one when it was first and goal on the one yard line when Matt Cassel fumbled the snap and threw away what was sure to be a go ahead touchdown.  Matt Cassel also threw 2 interceptions before he was injured and then replaced by back-up quarterback Brady Quinn.  Quinn had little time with the ball but he managed to go 3-3 for 32 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe but it was taken back due to an offensive pass interference call from Dexter McCluster. If Matt Cassel is ready to go next Sunday it will be a tough call for head coach Romeo Crennel whether to start Cassel or Quinn. I personally would like him to start Brady Quinn just to give him a chance because with the 9-6 loss on Sunday the Chiefs fell to 1-4, so really what do they have to lose?

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Baltimore-Defense won the game for Baltimore, they had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. They kept the Chiefs out of the end zone all game only allowing two Ryan Succop field goals.

Kansas City-The Chiefs defense impressed me, they had 4 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one interception and played tough the whole game giving the offense a wide open door to get a win. Unfortunately the offense let down and the Chiefs lost, but if this defense keeps playing like this then hopefully that will lead to momentum for the offense.

Denver Broncos 21 New England Patriots 31

It was a game that offered two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. On paper it is obvious that Manning had a much better game in the stat chart, but in the win and loss column you can chalk up a win for the Patriots. Manning’s 332 yards passing and 3 touchdowns were not enough to overcome a great rushing day by New England. Patriot’s running back Steven Ridley rushed for 151 yards and scored a touchdown in a 31-21 victory for New England. Don’t get me wrong, Brady didn’t have a bad day by any means. The Pro Bowl quarterback passed for 223 yards and had 1 passing and 1 rushing touchdown for New England. Had Denver’s running game showed up and gave Manning a little support then it could have been a different outcome, but Denver only rushed for 70 yards and lost three fumbles which led to a loss and a 2-3 record on the season for them.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

New England-Running back Steven Ridley rushed for a career high 151 yards and 1 touchdown. He was a beast on the ground and let pressure off of Tom Brady and the receiving core.

Denver-Peyton Manning shined Sunday and threw for 332 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. It was a great game for Manning but he knows just as well as I do that it doesn’t matter unless you get the win.

San Diego Chargers 24 New Orleans Saints 31

First would like to tip my hat to Drew Brees, he broke the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass breaking Johnny Unitas’s previous record of 47, it is a great accomplishment from a great quarterback. It was a great night for Saints fans, not only did they get to see Drew Brees make history, they also watched their team win their first game of the season. Though it was no walk in the park for the Saints, the Chargers had a very good first half and took a17-14 halftime lead. San Diego then came out and scored at the 12 minutes mark of the third quarter putting to 24-14. Now I thought the game was over, so much diversity and troubles for this Saints team, I figured they would call it a day. Drew Brees proved me wrong, he stepped up and became the leader that he is by scoring the next two touchdowns of the game and giving the Saints their first win of the season 31-24 over the San Diego Chargers.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

New Orleans-Drew Brees broke a record and was an all-star Sunday. Brees threw for 370 yards and 4 touchdowns, this was a much needed game for this team to give them so hope during a tough season.

San Diego-Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers game was overshadowed by Drew Brees’s record breaking performance. Rivers did have a nice game himself throwing for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns, it was a tough loss for the Chargers, but they still remain at the top of the AFC West at 3-2.

Division Battles

San Diego Chargers 37 Kansas City Chiefs 20

I had such high hopes for the Chiefs going into Sunday’s game against the Chargers; I thought they would be fired up coming off of their first win of the season. Little did I know they would play the worst game that I have personally ever seen a Chiefs team play. They played careless football and the outcome of the game showed it. Six turnovers was the main headline, with Matt Cassel throwing three interceptions and Chiefs running backs fumbling the ball way three times gave Kansas City no chance Sunday. On top of six turnovers the Chiefs also had nine penalties for 90 yards, I am not sure what was going through the Chiefs mind Sunday, but if they want to have any shot at this division title they better turn things around quickly. The final score of the game was 37-20 dropping Kansas City to 1-3 on the season.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

San Diego-Even though Kansas City was careless with the ball, the Chargers defensive had to jump on the loose balls and grab interceptions, so I am going to go with the Chargers defense as my players of the game for San Diego.

Kansas City-Dwayne Bowe played well for the Chiefs having seven receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. He is going to need to keep stepping his game up for this team to have a successful year.

Oakland Raiders 6 Denver Broncos 37

Just like the Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders took quite the beating themselves. Peyton Manning and the Broncos bulldozed all over Oakland on Sunday. Peyton Manning had one of his better games of the year throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Not only was the passing game rolling for Denver but the ground game didn’t do too shabby themselves, Willis McGahee rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown. While the Bronco offense clicking on all cylinders, the defense was superb only allowing two Sebastian Janikowski field goals the whole game and only gave up 237 yards of offense from Oakland. Denver won the game with a final score of 37-6 to push their record to 2-2 on the season. If this team starts to gel and comes together as one, then watch out for Peyton and the Broncos.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Denver-Easy choice here, Peyton Manning shined like the star he is passing like he is still in his prime. The 338 yards passing and three touchdowns just might get him started on an all-star season.

Oakland-The only player that made anything look good for Oakland would be Janikowski’s two field goals. Oakland needs a boost from someone and quick for this team to get their season back on track.

Big Time

Kansas City Chiefs 27 New Orleans Saints 24 (Overtime)

Kansas City and New Orleans both came into week three 0-2 desperately needing a win. It turned out being one of the best games of the year so far. I loved watching this game because I am a die-hard Chiefs fan, and for them to not give up showed a lot about who this team is. Kansas City trailed the Saints 10-6 at half and with about five minutes left in the 3^rd quarter Drew Brees hooked up with Jed Collins for a 6 yard touchdown pass to up the lead to 24-6. It looked like all was lost for a struggling Kansas City team and they were going to fall to a devastating 0-3, then 20 seconds later running back Jamal Charles broke a 91 yard touchdown run scoring the Chiefs only touchdown of the game but it was just the spark the Chiefs needed. How did the Chiefs score 27 points if they only had one touchdown? It’s as simple as one very clutch leg. Chief’s kicker Ryan Succop went a perfect 6 for 6 on field goals, one of which was a 43 yarder with 3 seconds left in regulation to tie it and then one more from 31 yards in overtime to give the Kansas City Chiefs their first win of the season.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Kansas City-You can make an argument of who the player of the game for the Chiefs was, but in my eyes this was an amazing team effort. Everyone stepped up big and made the plays they needed to win the game. Succop’s 6 for 6 on field goals, Jamal Charles astonishing 233 yards rushing, Matt Cassel’s poise near the end of the game to get Succop in field goal range, and the defense for coming up with an interception and a big safety to cut the lead to just 3. Congratulations on the win boys, you guys definitely earned this one.

New Orleans-Drew Brees threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns to earn my player of the game award. However he may have cost his team the game with a very costly safety in the 4^th quarter. This loss put his team in a 0-3 hole to start the season.

Atlanta Falcons 27 San Diego Chargers 3

It was a complete no show by the San Diego Chargers on Sunday when they hosted the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta is just rolling through AFC West teams, they have beaten all three opponents they have played and have a chance of making it a perfect 4 for 4 when they host Oakland in week 6. Despite Atlanta being a perfect 5-0 in San Diego coming into Sunday, I personally thought that the Chargers would take this game, being at home where they play their best ball. I thought that Phillip Rivers would have his guys ready, boy was I wrong. The Falcons defense was a total stone wall; they just wouldn’t allow this Charger offense to get a drive together and four turnovers by San Diego was a killer as well. This all allowed Matt Ryan and his team to play Falcon football and they executed it to perfection. The game was basically over by halftime with the score at 20-0. San Diego did manage 3 points on a Nate Kaeding field goal in an embarrassing week 3 outing. As the last few fans remaining watched on in agony the game ended with the final score at 27-3.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-For the third week in a row quarterback Matt Ryan earns my player of the game for Atlanta. The guy has just been a stud as of late, Sunday he went 30 for 40 and threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. This guy has this team clicking on all cylinders and they are a major force in the league this year.

San Diego-Can’t manage to pick someone who had a decent game from San Diego so I will just say that next week they visit Kansas City and they better bring a whole better game than they did Sunday.

Houston Texans 31 Denver Broncos 25

After a three interception outing last weekend, Peyton Manning came back and threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. However it was still not enough to out due an outstanding performance by Houston quarterback Matt Schaub who threw four touchdown passes even after taking a ferocious hit that made him lose a little piece of his ear. (This isn’t boxing is it?) The Texans jumped out to a 21-11 lead at half and by the end of the 3^rd quarter the lead was up to 31-11 in favor of Houston. Manning did all he could to try and brew an amazing 4^th quarter comeback, he threw two touchdown passes to pull the lead to 31-25, but it was too little too late for the Denver Broncos. The final score ended at 31-25 and put the Texans at a perfect 3-0 for the season. Denver however dropped their second game in a row putting them at 1-2 record and really needing to correct some offensive worries.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Houston-Quarterback Matt Schaub had a very nice game, he only had 17 completions but they led to 290 yards passing and 4 touchdowns to help Houston stay perfect on the season.

Denver-Peyton Manning had a very good game throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns; it was just not enough in the end to come out on top.

Pittsburgh Steelers 31 Oakland Raiders 34

The rally caps were on in Oakland as the Pittsburgh Steelers took 31-21 lead going into the 4^th quarter. Pittsburgh was missing key defensive starters Troy Polamalu and James Harrison which allowed Oakland to keep pace with Steelers offense. It was a tight game throughout, both teams keeping pace with one another. Just when you think the game may be getting away and the Steelers taking a 31-21 4^th quarter lead, the Oakland Raiders did not fold up. Carson Palmer threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Denarious Moore clawing back to only a three point deficit. With Sebastian Janikowskis great leg the game was perfectly in reach for the Oakland Raiders. Janikowski tied the game at 31-31 with 6:30 left in the 4^th quarter on a 32 yard field goal and then with time running out he became all clutch and knocked a 42 yard field goal threw the up rights as the time ran out. This win gave Oakland their first win of the season and gave a whole load of confidence to a team who was in need of some.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

 Oakland-Darren McFadden had a great game rushing for 113 yards and one touchdown to help his team avoid and 0-3 start to the season.

Pittsburgh-Ben Roethlisberger had a tremendous game for the Steelers throwing for 384 yards and 4 touchdowns. I find it hard to believe that this wasn’t enough for the Steelers to come out on top, but you have to give credit to Oakland for not giving up.

Rough Week for the AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs 17 Buffalo Bills 35

After seeing both teams fall flat on their faces during week one, I was anxious to see which team would rebound and get there season on track. It was no horse race to the finish, the Bills blew the Chiefs away from the get go. Kansas City was hobbling with injuries in week one, but in week 2 they had key players such as Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali back. However it did not make a difference, running back CJ Spiller had a tremendous game, rushing for 123 yards and getting in the end zone two times on Sunday. The Bills offense was running on all cylinders and the Chiefs on the other hand couldn’t get a drive together to save their lives. This led to a 21-0 half time deficit and an early game for Chiefs fans to watch.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Buffalo-If you were lucky enough to have CJ Spiller as a fantasy running back then congratulations to you. Spiller had 15 carries for 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also added to a great game with 3 receptions for 47 yards.

Kansas City-I am going to have to take a pass this week. In my eyes nobody deserves to be player of the game. Any good stats you see happened at the end of the game against the Bills second string defense. Kansas City better show up soon or its going to be a short season.

Oakland Raiders 13 Miami Dolphins 35

The Chiefs were not the only AFC West duds on Sunday. Oakland followed up a loss against San Diego last week by getting man handled in Miami by the Dolphins. Carson Palmer did his best to keep Oakland in the game by passing for 373 yards. The problem was the ground game for Oakland and the problem was that there wasn’t one. McFadden all Oakland rushers with 22 yards and there is a very slim chance of winning in the NFL when you can’t run the ball. Miami had no such problems though; Reggie Bush was a star rushing for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was rookie Ryan Tannehill’s second start and a much better one. Tannehill threw his first professional touchdown and also rushed for one more. Oakland did keep it relatively close and actually went into halftime with a 10-7 lead, but it was all Miami in the second half which led to a 35 to 13 Dolphin victory.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Miami-Running back Reggie Bush was unstoppable and gave hope to a rebuilding Dolphin team. His 172 yards rushing gives him my honor of player of the game. If he can keep it up then who knows how far this team can go.

Oakland-Caron Palmer did all he could to help Oakland win the game, he threw the ball like the pro bowl quarterback he is. The problem was he didn’t have a lick of help from his running game.

Tennessee Titans 10 San Diego Chargers 38

Phillip Rivers was a perfect 5-0 against the Titans going into Sunday and he didn’t want his perfect record to change. Rivers had a very solid game passing for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns. The big surprise was who was on the receiving end of those passes. Tight end Dante Rosario made good time of Antonio Gates’ absence from the game. Rosario who coming into the game had a total of 8 career touchdowns, ended up catching all 3 of Phillip Rivers touchdown passes. With the Chargers going 5 for 6 in the red zone it made for a 35 to 13 route. It was a very rough day for the Titans, both offense and defense getting beaten up all day and leading to a 0-2 start for the Tennessee Titans.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

San Diego-Tight end Dante Rosario had a career day grabbing 3 touchdown passes from Rivers. If he keeps being a productive target then I assume we will see his minutes increase greatly.

Tennessee-Safety Michael Griffin tallied up 16 tackles and 1 tackle for loss (yes you read safety correctly). Guy has a gift for finding and pursuing the ball.

Denver Broncos 21 Atlanta Falcons 27

Peyton Manning seemed to forget which team he was playing for on Monday night. Manning threw a whopping 3 interceptions in just the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and the Falcons took advantage of the 3 interceptions and built a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. After Matt Ryan hooked up for a touchdown with Roddy White in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 27-7. The Broncos tried to make a game of it by scoring twice in the 4^th quarter on Willis McGahee’s rushing touchdowns, but it was too little too late and ended in another victory over an AFC West team for the Atlanta Falcons.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-Matt Ryan passed for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was no amazing game by Ryan but he made the plays he needed to get his team the victory and that is all that matters at the end of the day.

Denver-Willis McGahee had a solid game rushing for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns; if only the passing game had been equally as good this game may have ended a bit differently.

Out of the Gate

Atlanta Falcons 40 Kansas City Chiefs 24

Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan couldn’t have dreamed of having a better offensive day, he racked up 4 touchdowns (1 rushing) and threw for nearly 300 yards. The Kansas City Chiefs defense was just too shorthanded this week, missing key starters Brandon Flowers, Kendrick Lewis, and Tamba Hali. In the first half Matt Cassel and the Chiefs offense kept it a game, nearly matching Falcons score for score and keeping it a close 20-17 score in favor of the Falcons. However in the second half the wheels began to fall off the wagon. Missed field goal, turnovers, and an unstoppable Falcon offense led to a 40 to 24 victory for Atlanta.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-No brainer Matt Ryan, nearly flawless and could put the ball wherever he wanted. Matt Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he showed it today.

Kansas City-Dexter McCluster came up big in many situations as a receiver for the Chiefs. He made crucial third down catches that kept drives alive. He ended the game with 6 receptions for 82 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers 19 Denver Broncos 31

Sunday Night Football did not disappoint as loud and pumped up Mile High Stadium welcomed Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers to town. With the Steelers connecting on 11-19 on third down conversions and controlling the time of possession throughout the game it really kept Peyton Manning out of the game, but when Manning did get the ball the future Hall of Famer really made it count in his Bronco debut. Manning was accurate and clutch connecting on 19 of his 26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and led the Broncos down the field in 4^th quarter to take the lead 22-19 with nine minutes left in the game. From there with a big pick six by Bronco’s cornerback Tracy Porter it was enough to seal a 31-19 Bronco victory.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Denver-Peyton Manning shined for Denver in the season opener hushing the haters at least momentarily. Along with a very nice performance Sunday night, Manning also set a personal mile stone by being one of only three quarterbacks to pass for 400 touchdowns in NFL history. (Trailing Dan Marino’s 420 TD’s and Brett Favre’s 508 TD’s)

Consolation prize to Bronco linebacker Wesley Woodyard who led the defense and all players with 12 solo tackles including 1 sack.

Pittsburgh-Although Ben Roethlisberger did throw a crucial interception late in the game, up until that point he played the best of any of the other Steelers. He threw for 245 yards on 22 of 40 passing and had passing two touchdowns.

San Diego Chargers 22 Oakland Raiders 14

It was a big Monday night game in the AFC West when the Oakland Raiders hosted the San Diego Chargers. With the bright lights shining above the Chargers and Raiders had a rugged defensive battle. Offense was a rarity in this game with each team only scoring one touchdown and both combining for only 77 yards rushing, San Diego severely missed starting running back Ryan Mathews who was out Monday night’s game due to injury. Special teams are what won the game for the San Diego Chargers, Charger kicker Nate Keading kicked and made five field goals to help get some points on the board. When Oakland’s Pro Bowl long snapper Jon Condo went down with a head injury it caused many problems for Oakland’s punting unit. A couple of poor snaps and one blocked punt impacted special teams greatly. I am sure the Chargers are very pleased to leave Oakland with a win, but both teams will know that next week they will have to step their games up.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

San Diego-Nobody wowed for the Chargers, but Nate Keading’s 5 for 5 on field goals are going to earn him my player of the game award.

Oakland-Darren McFadden didn’t have the best game rushing, only managed 32 yards on 15 carries. He did however catch a career high 13 balls for a total of 86 yards to help the Raider offense move the ball what little they did.

Preview Week 1

Atlanta Falcons @ Kansas City Chiefs-Sunday @ 12:00 P.M.

Tony Gonzalez is returning to Kansas City after his departure in 2009 as the Falcons come to town to play the Chiefs to start their season openers at Arrow Head stadium. Injury plagued corner back Brandon Flowers and linebacker Derrick Johnson are expected to be ready to go for kickoff on Sunday after getting injured in preseason. This is highly anticipated to be one of the much closer games in week 1 with a great head to head match up. Matt Ryan’s highly talented offensive will certainly give the Chiefs banged up defensive a tough 4 quarters, but if they stay healthy and remain on the field then expect a rough grind it out game that can go either way.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos-Sunday @ 7:20 P.M.

Come Sunday night you’re going to hope you’re around a TV as the Steelers face off against the Broncos at Mile High Stadium.  This is Peyton Manning’s Denver debut and he couldn’t have had a tougher test. Although Pittsburgh’s ferocious defense did take a hit when they found out that safety Ryan Clark won’t be suiting up for the game Sunday night due to a sickle cell trait that makes it dangerous for him to play at high altitudes. Outside linebacker James Harrison and strong safety Troy Polamalu will have to lead this defense in a tough battle against Peyton and the Broncos in is what to be a thriller season opener on Sunday night.

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders-Monday @ 9:15 P.M.

The first division game of the season will take place on the big stage of Monday Night Football between the Chargers and Raiders. Charger’s starting running back Ryan Mathews is expected to suit up but will probably see minimal action Monday night after breaking his collarbone early in the pre-season. As for Oakland, wide receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford are questionable for the game, but work horse running back Darren McFadden will be ready to carry the load and lead the Oakland Raiders into battle. It will be a one of the key games of opening week and both teams are looking to get a leg up in the AFC West.

Gearing Up

With the 2012-2013 football season only a week away football is in full force. The AFC West was an extremely tight division last year with the Broncos, Chargers, and Raiders finishing 8-8 and the Chiefs one game back at 7-9. The same is to be expected this football season, so let’s break down each team in the division.

 Let’s start with the Denver Broncos. The biggest headline in the off season for the Broncos along with the rest of the NFL was the acquiring of Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. With Willis McGahee in the backfield as running back this should be a very balanced offense that can throw many weapons at you.  Many are expecting the Broncos to be a big surprise in the NFL this year with a highly active and veteran defense consisting of veteran’s cornerback Champ Bailey and defensive end Justin Bannan this defense could very possibly finish as one of the league's best. The Broncos end their pre-season finale at Arizona before there highly anticipated season opener Sunday September 9th against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Mile High Stadium.

 The rowdy Raiders of Oakland are back and ready to contend for an AFC West title. Quarterback Carson Palmer has been searching and searching for a place to call home. It appears as though he has found it, Palmer will be the Raiders starting quarterback when they face off against the San Diego Chargers in a very key Monday night football division game. The main factor for the Raiders will be waiting to see which defense shows up this year, that may very well determine their season.

 It's always a certain that quarterback Phillip Rivers will have the boys ready for the season. The San Diego Chargers are looking for a complete season. They seem to start off hot every year only to falter down the stretch. This year with the tough division of the AFC West the Chargers cannot falter and still expect to make the playoffs. Head coach Norv Turner will have his hands full this year if he plans to get San Diego back to the playoffs as he did in 2009.

 After an injury plagued 2011 football season the Kansas City Chiefs are back and healthy. This will be the first full year under new head coach Romeo Crennel and hopes are very high in Kansas City. With the dynamic duo of Peyton Hillis and Jamal Charles in the backfield and stand out wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Jon Baldwin anything is possible for this high powered offense. Having the top defense in the division last year the Chiefs are expecting the same thing in 2012 with a solid defensive line and a very quick and agile secondary. The Chiefs have very high expectations and plan to contend for AFC West bragging rights.

Introduction

Welcome everybody to the AFC West Weekly Blog. This blog is designed to keep you up to date on the latest news from the AFC West. I will be posting weekly news, scores, and standings from the AFC West Division which will consist of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the San Diego Chargers.