The AFC West is settling into a shape nobody could have predicted back in Week 1. Kansas City is still perched at the top, Denver has steadied itself after a shaky start, Las Vegas has stumbled hard after opening 3-0, and the Chargers are stuck at 0-6 with the kind of season that only gets messier by the week.
After six games, the standings tell the whole story:
Kansas City Chiefs 5-0
Denver Broncos 4-2
Las Vegas Raiders 3-3
Los Angeles Chargers 0-6
For the Raiders, Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills at home was another painful reminder that the margin for error has already vanished. Kirk Cousins turned in a solid performance, but he didn’t completely change the game. The run game never got off the ground, and the passing attack leaned heavily on the tight end group and Tre Tucker.
Defensively, Las Vegas did enough to make Josh Allen look ordinary by his standards. He finished with 255 passing yards and two touchdowns, added just one rushing yard on five carries, and was sacked twice. But Buffalo still found plenty of room to move on the ground, and that ultimately carried the day.
Now the Raiders are staring at a difficult run. They have dropped three straight after that 3-0 start, and the next two games could say a lot about where this team is headed.
A banged-up Los Angeles Rams team comes to Allegiant Stadium in Week 7, then Las Vegas hits the road to face the New York Jets in Week 8. Those two games will also matter when it comes to how John Spytek and the front office approach the deadline.
For now, the Raiders are no longer playing from out front. They have to claw back.
Denver, meanwhile, followed up its uneven opening stretch with a primetime game that was about as ugly as it gets. Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks turned into a slog, even with the Broncos’ defense holding up well. Sam Darnold, though, was also not much of a threat without Klint Kubiak whispering sweet songs into his ear.
Bo Nix hasn’t looked like the same player either. He’s not pushing the ball downfield, and he’s not using his legs to create off-script answers.
Going back to Sean Payton as the offensive play-caller hasn’t been the fix, even if Denver has still won both of those games. The Broncos are 4-2, but there’s still skepticism around them.
Then there’s the Chargers, who got handled by Kansas City 22-6 on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes did not need to put on a show, and the Chiefs’ defense made life miserable for Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel. Kenneth Walker III was the difference-maker, and Steve Spagnuolo’s group kept the pressure on all afternoon.
Los Angeles is heading into its bye with change looming. McDaniel looks like the obvious fall guy, and if things don’t turn soon, the situation could get even uglier. Right now, the Chargers are 0-6 and still have three tough games waiting for them after the break.
As for the rumors floating around, Adam Gase has been mentioned as McDaniel’s replacement. If that happened, it would be hard to imagine things getting any worse in Los Angeles. Jim Harbaugh might be out of a job next year... or by the end of this one.
Looking ahead to Week 7, Las Vegas gets the Rams at home, and Sean McVay’s team is short on bodies. The Rams got starting left tackle Alaric Jackson back early from suspension, but they’ll be without Davante Adams, Kobie Turner and Poona Ford, along with Myles Garrett. They also need a kicker.
That’s a better draw for the Raiders than the one they faced in Week 5, when a beat-up New England team still routed them 45-17 in Foxboro. This time, the talent gap is smaller, even if Las Vegas still has plenty to prove.
Kansas City, meanwhile, goes on the road for Sunday Night Football against Seattle. The Seahawks do not look anything like the team that dominated in the Super Bowl last year, and Walker III will also have something extra on his mind against his old club. A 6-0 start is there for the taking.
Denver’s next stop is Arizona, where the Broncos will face the Cardinals in the late window. The schedule is getting friendlier now, and the Broncos just beat the Rams last week, but that win came with some fluky breaks. Even so, they remain outmatched by the Broncos.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Should Be Careful With The Ashton Jeanty Comparison
Ashton Jeantys early Raiders production has invited an ugly comparison, mostly because the surface numbers look familiar to anyone who remembers Trent Richardsons rapid NFL fade. The caution here is that context matters. Richardson entered the league with a different kind of pre-draft hype and landed behind a stronger blocking environment, while Jeanty has had to navigate a Raiders offense that has not given him much room to work with.
Still, the concerns around Jeanty are real enough to keep the conversation going. His low yards per carry and frequent negative or no-gain runs have been a problem, and the Raiders have not made life easier with poor run blocking, while an ankle issue only adds another layer to the evaluation. The larger point is not that everything is fine, only that it is too early to stamp him with Richardsons fate when the situations around the two backs have not been remotely the same. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Line Trouble Has Put Spytek Under Early Pressure
With the Raiders trying to steady an offensive line that has already become a concern, the front office made another round of roster adjustments this week. Las Vegas brought in offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard on the practice squad as part of a push to add more protection depth before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
At the same time, the Raiders cleared room by moving on from tight end Chris Myarick and offensive lineman Evan Neal. It is an early sign that general manager John Spytek is willing to keep working the roster aggressively, and the bigger question is how much improvement he can engineer in time to help a unit that needs it quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Backfield Suddenly Has A Workload Question Fans Should Watch
The Raiders left Buffalo with a few encouraging signs in the backfield, even if the loss itself still lingered. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. gave the offense a lift with his running, and head coach Klint Kubiak came away pleased enough to point to better production and effort from the group overall.
Kubiaks comments also suggest this is not turning into a one-back operation just yet. Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Laube remain part of the mix, and the workload split in the weeks ahead should be worth watching as Las Vegas tries to find a steadier rhythm on the ground. [Read more 🡒]