NFL 2006-07 AFC West Division Prediction

The AFC West could be the best division on football. The NFC East might have something to say about that once all is said and done, but the AFC West has less new situations, unproven stars, and more raw talent. If you were to ask from which division the AFC Super Bowl representative will most likely come from, odds are best if you pick the West. No other division can boast three contenders. Imagine if the Raiders were good? The Broncos were this close last year (imagine me holding two fingers about half an inch apart). How do they respond? They add Jay Cutler. How was he still available when they stole him? The Chargers finally made a decision and sent Drew packing for Mardi Gras. The Chiefs have the guy that Reggie Bush would pick first in fantasy leagues. Oakland has the most intimidating fans in the league. Yeah, that’s something. Wake Art Shell up when January comes. He’s a good guy but with a bad team. Here’s how I breakdown the toughest division in football.

WINNER – Denver Broncos. Why? What sets them apart from the others? Quarterback? No, the Chargers has some goodness there, too. Home field advantage? It may be the best in the league, or maybe that notion belongs to the Chiefs. That see of red is amazing. The ability to turn anybody (even my grandma) into a 1000 yard rusher? Guess again, no matter how many yards they rush for, Larry Johnson will out rush them He’ll out rush their entire team. No, he should out rush the entire division. So why am I picking the Broncos? So why am I picking the Broncos? Well, it is for three reasons. 1 – They have really cool looking helmets. Seriously, maybe only the Steelers are cooler. 2 – When Jake Plummer doesn’t shave for a few months, he looks like a 1970 Paul McCartney. That is an awesome look. 3 – They play in the cold and high altitude. ESPN analyst Woody Paige (who used to work for the Denver Post) says that the mile-high altitude actually matters. I’ve been to Denver, he may be right. Record 14-2

SECOND – Kansas City Chiefs. This team is so good on offense that it hurts. They are like the Philadelphia Phillies (my favorite team in all of sports). The Phillies can score 15 runs a night and lose 16-15. They need pitching and the Chiefs need some ‘D’. The Chiefs could lose 42-38 each week. They could actually go 0-16 and still lead the league in scoring. Lucky for them they have Larry Johnson. He is expected to rush for about 3000 yards this season. Anything less than the all-time record will be a disappointment. Forget 0-16, with this much offense, they’ll win enough to get a wild card spot. Record 13-3

THIRD – The Sweet San Diego Sunshine. Until Hawaii gets a team, the Chargers have the best weather. What does that mean? It means that L.T. and company should get 12 wins. Is it me or has it just become customary and routine to expect the Chargers to win 12 games a season? If I’m not mistaken, over the past 10 seasons they are 120-40. In fact, since 1900 they are 1272-424. Record 11-5

LOST – Oakland Raiders. What happened here? How did they go from Super Bowl to their parent’s basement in just a few short years? They’ve even got one of the best players in the game in Randy Moss. Now they have Art Shell as head coach. He is really good at what he does. This year ‘what he does’ translates to ‘coach a bad team’. The reason that they are so awful, and causing a stink in an otherwise excellent division, is not known. On paper they should be good. On paper they should have a winning season. Too bad this isn’t paper football. Record 4-12