AFC West Week 12 — The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

By Guest Writer Chris Mason:

Week 12 saw a wild slate of games for the West. The Broncos lost a 24 point lead to the Patriots in primetime, and fell 34-31 in Overtime. The Chargers shocked the Chiefs in a 41-38 shootout that saw 8 different lead changes, and the Raiders lost to the Titans 23-19 at home.

The Good

Denver: The First Half

The Broncos first two quarters went as well as they could have for a road team in freezing New England conditions. Denver did everything well in the first half, forcing three turnovers and going into the locker room with a 24-0 lead. Von Miller was a particular standout, scoring a defensive touchdown and wreaking havoc on the Patriot offensive line in the passing game.

Kansas City: Offense

Kansas City had a strong offensive game against San Diego, putting up 38 points in a losing effort. Alex Smith had his best game as a Chief, tossing three touchdown passes and notching just under 300 yards passing. Jamaal Charles was a force on the ground for the Chiefs, and made the most of his touches. The Kansas City feature back ran for 115 yards on 14 carries, and punched it into the end zone twice.

Oakland: Nick Roach

The Raiders middle-linebacker had an excellent game on defense against the Titans. Oakland’s defensive signal-caller recorded 10 tackles, recorded 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble. This is his second strong game in a row, as he also intercepted Case Keenum a week before at Houston.

San Diego: Philip Rivers

As good as Alex Smith was for the Chiefs, Philip Rivers was better. Rivers shredded the highly acclaimed Kansas City secondary for 392 yards and three touchdowns through the air. The most impressive part of his game was his two-minute drill in the fourth quarter. Down by 4 points with only 1:22 left to play, Rivers marched his team down the field and threw a highlight reel, 26 yard pass to Seyi Aijrotutu to win the game for his team. He was calm under pressure, and looked like a leader on the field.

The Bad

Denver: The Second Half/Overtime

The last three quarters of play saw the Broncos dominated in all three phases of the game. Denver let New England back into the game, and had no answer for a surgical Tom Brady offense. The visitors were torn apart by the New England aerial attack despite a forceful wind, and gave up 3 touchdown passes in the second half. On offense, Peyton Manning could only muster one scoring drive in almost three full quarters of play, a far cry from the torrid pace his offense had been scoring at. Wes Welker also made a critical special teams’ mistake in crunch time, and the Denver punt return unit gave Brady a red zone possession in sudden death. After halftime, the Broncos simply looked overmatched.

Kansas City: Defense

It appears NFL’s top defense through 9 weeks has been exposed, as they gave up 41 points a San Diego offense that’s struggled at times. Simply put, they did nothing well. Their secondary was torched by Rivers, they couldn’t generate any pass rush, and they gave up two touchdowns on the ground. If they want to be a factor come playoff time, their recent defensive recession needs to be addressed.

Oakland: Third Down Defense

The Raiders defense allowed a Ryan Fitzpatrick led offense convert 58% of their third downs, as the Titans went 10 for 18 on the play. This was particularly apparent on Tennessee’s last drive, as they used the game’s final six minutes to muster a game winning touchdown. Oakland’s defense couldn’t buy a stop on third down, and as a result the Titans manipulated the clock and won the game.

San Diego: Secondary

The Chargers struggled to stay with the Kansas City receivers, and allowed three touchdowns and 294 yards through the air to a passing game that has been anemic at times. The Chiefs had five different receivers that had at least four receptions on the afternoon, as the San Diego secondary had a rough afternoon across the board.

The Ugly

Denver: Peyton Manning shrinking under pressure… again.

Kansas City: Tamba Hali and Justin Houston both leaving with injuries.

Oakland: Sebastian Janikowski missing two field goals in a 4 point loss at home.

San Diego: Letting Alex Smith throw 3 touchdowns in one game.