After a couple of really tiring weeks where I was swamped with design projects, I finally have time to get back into the swing of things at SportsKop! Continuing on from the previous NFL Prediction article, I stay out west and look at the AFC side of things.





Denver Broncos

Predicted Record: 12-4

Division Record: 4-2

i. Kansas City Chiefs: 1-1

ii. Oakland Raiders: 2-0

iii. San Diego Chargers: 1-1





Contrary to last season, the Denver Broncos were unable to make any splash in the offseason. They went all-in last year in hopes of capturing a championship, but failed to do so, leaving them in a difficult situation in terms of payroll. Luckily, they still have the talent to be able to compete for another title again this year. Some are worried that TE Julius Thomas' departure may hurt their passing game but there is no need to fret if Peyton Manning is your quarterback. I also think that Denver has two other positives that will go their way. The first is having Gary Kubiak as their head coach, whom I believe to be an upgrade to John Fox, and two, having a full season of C.J. Anderson at runningback.

Peyton Manning's career is coming to an end. Will he be able to capture another Super Bowl victory?

Kansas City Chiefs

Predicted Record: 10-6

Division Record: 5-1

i. Denver Broncos: 1-1

ii. Oakland Raiders: 2-0

iii. San Diego Chargers: 2-0





This team always seems to be in competitive games, no matter who the opponent is.

Their defense and running game remain elite so expect this to be similar to the team that we have been accustomed to seeing the past two seasons. Upper management

hopes that the addition of WR Jeremy Maclin, who happens to be a great possession receiver, and the growth of TE Travis Kelce can improve their passing game to what they need to become an elite team, although I find that unlikely.

Assuming they get a healthy season from Jamaal Charles, this team can compete with the the best of them.

San Diego Chargers

Predicted Record: 7-9

Division Record: 2-4

i. Denver Broncos: 1-1

ii. Kansas City Chiefs: 0-2

iii. Oakland Raiders: 1-1





After finding themselves unable to unload Phillip Rivers to another contending team, the Chargers decided to hold onto him and not rebuild just yet. Last year, they were a competitive team that succeeded to a great degree before their signal caller got injured (they even managed to defeat the then Super Bowl defending champions pretty handedly). They hope to find that form success again. Many believe that Antonio Gates' 4 game suspension for PED use should damper all expectations of this but Ladarius Green is emerging to be a good player and should be a reliable spot starter in the meantime.

This is likely Philip Rivers' last season as a Charger and they want to make it count.

Oakland Raiders

Predicted Record: 4-12

Division Record: 1-5

i. Denver Broncos: 0-2

ii. Kansas City Chiefs: 0-2

iii. San Diego Chargers: 1-1









The record I have for the Raiders as of now should not indicate what I think of them as a football team. They have a young core that is really talented and can surprise quite a few teams, and pull off a few upsets over the course of this season. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they ended up being the better of the two Bay Area teams.

The three most previous drafts they had all seem to be a success, which should give Raiders Nation a lot of hope for the future. I would expect Oakland to make significant jumps in the standings and quite possibly win the division in as soon as two or three years.

I strongly believe in the talents of Amari Cooper and Derek Carr. Also as a fan of old Rock and Roll music, I needed to find an excuse to include this photo in this article.





Songs that played on my Pandora while writing this article:

Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac

Bad - Michael Jackson

If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark

Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode

(Can't Get My) Head Around You - The Offspring

Diary Of Jane - Breaking Benjamin

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