Around the AFC West: The Broncos aren’t the only team in disarray
Dec 29, 2022, 6:21 AM
The Denver Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday. They’re the only team in their division that doesn’t have any hopes of making the postseason in 2022. With a 4-11 record, and two games against the Chiefs and the Chargers, there’s a good chance that Denver doesn’t win another game this season.
The Chiefs are trying to position themselves as the no.1 seed in the AFC. The Chargers are positioning themselves for the best possible matchup in the Wild Card Round. The Raiders are making changes to see if they can win out and have some other things go their way in order to make an improbable postseason appearance.
Let’s take a spin around the AFC West to see what the competition is up to.
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Kansas City Chiefs
I doubt the Chiefs will fall asleep against the Broncos on Sunday. The last time the two teams played, the Broncos were able to be a thorn in the side of the Chiefs. It was a win for Kansas City, but they had a little more than they expected from the Broncos. This time, the game is at their place, one of the loudest places to play. There is a good chance the Chiefs will take care of business easily on Sunday.
This team needs to get through the game healthily. They are getting some players back, and other players they are waiting a bit longer to bring back to the football field. With an eye on the Super Bowl, the Chiefs must plan accordingly.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) is “ready to go” for Week 17 versus the Broncos, head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Hardman is a speedy weapon who can be a favorite target for QB Patrick Mahomes. He had five touchdowns in a three-game stretch, from Week 6 to Week 9. Since then, Hardman has missed time trying to get healthy. When he comes back, Hardman could get slowly mixed in and ramped up as the season wraps and the postseason begins.
One weapon is back, but another is still on the shelf. Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) is not ready to return from injured reserve in Week 17. Edwards-Helaire, a former first-round pick, began the season as the team’s starter. However, in Week 7 rookie RB Isiah Pacheco took over as the starter. Edwards-Helaire was in as a reserve for a few games and then was put on Injured Reserve with a severe ankle injury. Upon his return, Edwards-Helaire will serve as a backup to Pacheco (and perhaps even Jerick McKinnon) once again.
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Las Vegas Raiders
While the Broncos had the biggest news in the division, the Raiders also made a splashy move on Wednesday when they was announced that starting QB Derek Carr was going to be benched for the rest of the regular season. Carr leads the league in interceptions (14) and now will go to the bench.
Per national reporters, Carr will also be inactive for Week 17 at least, leaving QB Chase Garbers as the backup to Jarrett Stidham. The Raiders need to win out and hope some other things fall into place in order for them to make the postseason. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has grown tired of Carr’s struggles, and he will get a two-game look at Stidham. McDaniels was part of the Patriots regime when Stidham was a fourth-round pick out of Auburn (2019). He knows the offense, but it’s likely the Raiders will be in the quarterback market this offseason – and Carr will find a new home in 2023 – either via trade or release.
Raiders DE Chandler Jones (elbow) and LB Denzel Perryman (shoulder) will be placed on the Reserve/Injured list. A huge offseason addition, Jones did not look the same as he used to be and only had 4.5 sacks in 2022. Jones has a $25.6 million dead cap number in 2023, so the Raiders will stick with him one more year. Losing Perryman means the Raiders’ defense will be without one of their top tacklers for the final two games of the year.
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Los Angeles Chargers
Have the Chargers changed their culture? They have won four of their last five games, with three of those victories in one-score games. Last week against the Colts, the Chargers easily handled an outmatched team – the way a great team should do. Regularly known as chokers, the Chargers may be changing that narrative through their confident play.
If they can win each of their final two games, including a season finale against the Broncos, the Chargers could end up with the No. 5 seed. That would put them on the road in either Jacksonville or Tennesse. We’ll know the winner of the AFC South when the Jaguars and Titans play in Week 18. That’s a much better Wild Card Round matchup than heading to Cincinnati or Kansas City. If they’re firing on all cylinders, nobody will want to play the Chargers in the postseason.
There are a couple of injuries to key players that need to be monitored. Chargers S Derwin James (concussion) is still in the concussion protocol and remains day-to-day, head coach Brandon Staley said on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
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