Today I'm officially at the halfway point of my NFL previews, as I go division by division. So far, three of my four wild card picks are in. Will my fourth come today?
If you want to read a little more in-depth previews on NFL teams, you can check out the work of my colleagues over at UKEndZone. They're also going division by division, and are doing a fantastic job. If your interest lies more with picking games against the spread, I do have that option available to you as well: you can join a group with myself and Adam Quinn, who will be picking games weekly with me in an attempt to overthrow me. He almost did last year. This year my dad and Grabbing the Bull Horns blogger Geoffrey Clark (our defending champion, actually) will also be joining us, though we haven't discussed anything about him writing up picks with Adam and I. We'll see.
Let's take a look at the AFC West.
AFC West
Common opponents on schedule: AFC North, NFC North
2014: 12-4 (1st), lost in AFC Divisional Game
At this point, I think we can say Peyton Manning is on the downswing of his career, but his slight decline still makes him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. I'm also not sold on his supporting cast as much this year: he still has Demaryius Thomas as his top target as well as Emmanuel Sanders, but the depth that has been there the last couple years isn't there. He does have a decent running game with C.J. Anderson as well, so offensively, they'll probably be fine. They've got good pass rushers on defense still with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, and they're solid at corner with Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. I can't guarantee anything in January, but the Broncos will be there.
2015 Prediction: 12-4
2014: 9-7 (T-2nd), missed playoffs
San Diego was in the mix late last season before just missing out on the postseason, but they bring back much of their talent on offense. Antonio Gates will miss the first four games to suspension, but Phillip Rivers has other targets to work with in Malcom Floyd and Keenan Allen, while there's a decent ground game with Branden Oliver and rookie Melvin Gordon as well as Danny Woodhead for pass catching. Their defense is okay, but not really notable in any way, though they'll keep the team in the hunt. I just don't think they'll have quite enough again this year, falling just short of the postseason for a second straight year.
2015 Prediction: 9-7
2014: 9-7 (T-2nd), missed playoffs
Kansas City also did pretty well last year but also just missed the playoffs. After a first in the modern era: a season with no touchdown passes to wide receivers, that will probably change with Jeremy Maclin in town. While Alex Smith is a decent quarterback, the offense still revolves around Jamaal Charles. On defense, there's still a lot of talent here led by Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Dontari Poe, but I'm not really sold on the secondary. This team will be okay, but not great.
2015 Prediction: 8-8
2014: 3-13 (4th), missed playoffs
Ah, Oakland... We are starting to see a foundation with Derek Carr at quarterback, and now he has legitimate targets to throw to in Michael Crabtree and rookie Amari Cooper. Latavius Murray will be a decent running back, but let's remember that this is a young offense, so there will be some growing pains. The defense got a bit of an upgrade with Justin Tuck to anchor the defensive line, and Charles Woodson remains a good veteran presence, but there are just too many holes. As long as the Raiders understand they need to stay the course rebuilding and work around the pieces they have, their future might be good. Their 2015, however... not so much.
2015 Prediction: 4-12
We're halfway home. Check back tomorrow when I preview the division most relevant to me and my general area in the NFC North.
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