Somebody said earlier this year, on some other blog network's "comments" section, that the team that wins the AFC West this year will be the first 6-10 team to ever make the playoffs. At first, I giggled at the thought, surely the team would have to win more games then that. However over the last two weeks, the AFC West teams are a combined 1-7, with the only victory coming from the Raiders over the Chargers...a game one AFC West team HAD to win.
Next week one of the AFC West teams will HAVE to win also as the Raiders head to Denver to take on the Broncos. This week, the Kansas City Chiefs blew a late lead against the Houston Texans, the San Diego Chargers lost to the St. Louis Rams---they are now 0-4 on the road, the Broncos shot themselves in the foot against the New York Jets, and the Raiders showed us why the Washington Redskins were willing to trade a former first-round pick to the Raiders for a fourth round pick in a draft that is a year-and-a-half away.
Now, sometimes I'm a skeptic, but I'm beginning to wonder if I jumped the gun with the whole laughing at the 6-10 comment. It appears that the Chiefs are the most consistent team in the division, but they are certainly not the most talented. Then you have the Bolts and Broncos who are throwing the ball very well on offense, but have very little to no sort of running game.
And then there's the Raiders, or as I like to call them now---The Gradkowski's. What is the deal with this guy? Why is it that every quarterback except for Bruce gets their faces smashed in behind this offensive line, but when Gradkowski is in there the offense suddenly becomes a top ten threat?
The only problem that lies with Gradkowski is obviously the injury factor. And it's wierd things too like tearing the MCL's in BOTH knees, or tearing a muscle lifting weights, or seperating your shoulder by taking the same kind of hit by the same guy two times in the same game...who does this happen to? Only Bruce Gradkowski. Only the Oakland Raiders only hope of a winning season over the last seven years.
But will anybody in the AFC West have a winning record at the end of this season? Is this really the worst division in the NFL, or will one of the AFC West teams sweep the NFC West and make them officially the worst division in football?
I'm asking you right now Raider Nation---Will the winner of the AFC West really be a 6-10 team this year?
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