Teddy Bridgewater, A.J. McCarron, Tajh Boyd, Aaron Murray, Johnny Manziel; these are the names the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders ought to be familiarizing themselves with right now, because it’s hard to imagine any scenario where both of these teams aren’t trash in 2013 and looking for quarterbacks in 2014.
The fall from grace of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is unlike anything seen outside that of Donovan McNabb. Not to say Rivers is completely washed up, but his time in sunny San Diego appears to be running out. Once a fiery competitor that had a deep ball that rivaled any QB in the league, Rivers now looks like a prime candidate for a change of scenery that is necessary to resurrect a career suddenly on life support. Rivers’ yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating in 2012 were all his lowest in five years, and he’s thrown 25 picks in the last two seasons.
Sidebar: And to think, Rivers signed a $92M contract four years ago that is good through 2015. Then again, this is the NFL. So there’s no such thing as a “good” contract.
Maybe all the change within the Chargers organization took a toll on him. Maybe LaDanian Tomlinson’s presence did more for his career than any of us knew. Or maybe his supporting cast is so depleted (lost Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles to free agency and Antonio Gates to Tim Duncan disease in recent years) that he’s been forced to do too much. In any case, the Chargers are in rebuilding mode and their 2013 record should reflect that.
The Raiders meanwhile have all but copyrighted the expression “rebuilding mode”. Coach Dennis Allen has reportedly given the starting QB job to Terrelle Pryor, which should make for some exciting football, good or (the far more likely) disastrous. The Raiders are a mess. They’ll win a game or two here and there that they weren’t supposed to like they usually do, but Papoose has a better shot at taking the King of New York crown away from “Kendrick” than Oakland does at winning this division.
In Kansas City, the Chiefs have undergone a complete facelift. They’ve brought in a competent coach (Andy Reid), a competent quarterback (Alex Smith), what appears to be a competent general manager (John Dorsey) and what should be a franchise left tackle with the #1 overall pick in the draft (Eric Fisher). For years, KC seemed to have been sabotaged by the ignorance of their own leaders— most notably Romeo Crennel, Todd Haley (two men who should never…EVER apply for a head coaching job again) and of course, Scott Pioli. But the Chiefs have now merged this latest nucleus with the handful of talented players already on their roster, headlined by the pride of Port Arthur, Texas, Jamaal Charles (word to UGK).
Sidebar: Still not convinced Charles and Chris Johnson aren’t the same guy. Don’t be fooled by this pic either, it could just be Photoshop trickery.
All this has made the Chefs (remember that commercial?) a trendy pick for a huge turnaround in 2013. They will finish second in the AFC West, but the Denver Broncos are still the class of the division.
AFC West Champion: Denver Broncos
If the Chiefs are the trendy pick for a turnaround, then the Broncos are the trendiest pick for a Super Bowl champion. And why not? Denver was the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs last January and have all the makings of a championship caliber team.
The Broncos stand alone in the AFC West, yet they’re not without their question marks. What happens to their pass rush now that Von Miller got knocked for PEDs and Elvis Dumervil defected to the Ravens for arguably the dumbest reason in the history of pro football? They had multiple front office execs get knocked for DUIs, they’ve had crucial injuries to the offensive line and secondary, and their three-headed running back situation remains unresolved.
Is year two of Peyton Manning and the arrival of Wes Welker enough to offset all of these issues? In the AFC West, absolutely. And it doesn’t hurt that in the year after the Broncos benefited from a largely cupcake schedule, Denver somehow has the easiest schedule in the NFL! Of course, this is based on last season’s final standings — and a lot of that has to do with the AFC West being weaker than a Tyga 16 — but Elway’s squad will encounter little resistance in their quest to win the division for the third straight year.
The real question is, will this lack of consistent competition bode well for Denver’s playoff chances? We all know Peyton Manning can rattle off a 12-win season in his sleep, but with the uncertainty surrounding his team piling up, so too is his responsibility. How will Manning respond with the stakes raised?