1. Kansas City Chiefs– They were the hottest team in the NFL at one time in 2017 winning its first five games. Then came the losing streak and they cooled down considerably and that’s because they got away from what was winning them football games and that was establishing Kareem Hunt. All year last season, we speculated that it could be Alex Smith’s final year with the team and he was traded to the Washington Redskins. The Pat Mahomes era is set to begin. The Chiefs also added Sammy Watkins to help their receiving core, the only concern I have with him is his health because he’s always on the sidelines. As long as this offense has Travis Kelce, they will always score and you saw just how much of an impact he has on the offense after he got hurt in the playoff game. The defense will get a boost with the return of Eric Berry who tore his Achilles in week one last year. It’ll be an interesting time for the Chiefs.
2. Los Angeles Chargers– Normally when teams begin a season struggling out of the gate, you throw the towel in on them. That wasn’t the case for the Chargers who played their first full season in Los Angeles. This team took after their head coach Anthony Lynn who instilled in them never to quit. He may be getting up there in age, but Phillip Rivers is still playing quality football. They have a nice running back in Melvin Gordon and when he’s on the field and healthy, Keenan Allen is a very productive football player and he had the best year of his career which earned him the comeback player of the year (a no-brainer for me). When I look at their defense, they have the best tandem of pass rushers in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa and I can’t wait to see these two get better in 2018. For the first time in 15 seasons, we won’t see Antonio Gates on the field with the Chargers as the team released him this off-season.
3. Oakland Raiders– This was the one team that everybody had their eyes on and rightfully so because of the successful season they had in 2016 that came crumbling down after Derek Carr broke his leg. They turned out to be the biggest disappointment in the NFL last season as they finished with a 6-10 mark and failed to qualify for the postseason. After signing a contract extension, Jack Del Rio was relieved of his coaching duties. A very familiar face is back on the sidelines in the bay area. Jon Gruden is back after spending nine years in the broadcast booth as an analyst for ESPN. The talent is definitely there for the Raiders to succeed. They have a franchise quarterback who’s more than capable of getting the job done in Derek Carr, they got Marshawn Lynch out of retirement and back on the field, they’ve really bolstered their receiving core with the additions of Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant and Amari Cooper is still there. Defensively is where Gruden will have his work cut out for him. Outside of Khalil Mack, there’s not another playmaker to have an impact. It’s a crucial year for the silver and black.
4. Denver Broncos– Since winning Super Bowl 50, things have spiraled downward for the Denver Broncos. In the last two season, they have a record of 14-18 and have missed the playoffs in consecutive years after winning the division every season since 2011. The quarterback has been the biggest question mark for the franchise and we knew that would happen after Peyton Manning retired. Trevor Siemian hasn’t panned out, they resigned Brock Osweiler last season and Paxton Lynch is still being groomed potentially as the next starter. The Broncos goal was to try and find their signal caller and they found one in Case Keenum who’s coming off the best year of his career in 2017. I don’t think Case is the long-term solution for the Broncos, but he’s better than what they’ve had under center as of late. They still have the receiving tandem of Thomas and Sanders, C.J. Anderson is gone, but they drafted Royce Freeman from Oregon this Spring. The Broncos defense will look to get back to their elite ways in 2018 after a down year last season. Von Miller is back and the team drafted Bradley Chubb out of North Carolina State which I was impressed with. If all pans out, they could surprise some people.
2018 Predictions
1. Chiefs (10-6)
2. Chargers (9-7)
3. Broncos (7-9)
4. Raiders (6-10)
I like the Kansas City Chiefs to win this division once again. All the other teams have a ton of question marks surrounding them and the Chiefs are the one stable team in the division. They have a consistent running game, their defense will get their leader in Berry back, Reid will have Mahomes ready to play and the Chiefs have a nice looking offensive group in Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt and Sammy Watkins (if he can stay healthy), they can score points.
