Its The Most Wonderful Time of The Year (AFC West)

San Diego Chargers 12-4

Former First round pick Ryan Matthews is an exceptional talent who will provide many explosive plays in the run game making them a very dynamic offense. He brings great elusiveness, good speed and very good power for his size allowing him to run through many tackles. Phillip Rivers will have his number one wide out Vincent Jackson back for a full season. The two will terrorize defenses all season long. Antonio Gates was able to go in their last preseason game and practice afterwards without limitations. He's always an injury risk but he appears to be healthy. The chargers brought back FA WR Malcom Floyd, although he suffered a concussion just 2 weeks ago it is said to only be minor and he should be ready to provide the chargers with a nice deep option (19.4 ypc last season). Rookie WR Vincent Brown is a very good route runner and another sure handed option for Rivers. He brings them depth and could emerge as a legitimate part of the offense as the season progresses. Their defense has been very solid over the last few years (number 1 overall last year in total defense) and they added snake bitten Bob Sanders this offseason who has the potential (if he can stay healthy) to make this defense dominate. The Chargers play in a fairly weak division and should have little trouble this season taking it back over after a one year lapse.

Oakland Raiders 8-8

The Raiders accomplished something last year that no other team in NFL history has ever done. They swept their division but failed to win it or even make the playoffs. Their will be no divisional sweep for the raiders this season but they will again be very competitive. Breakout Star Darren McFadden will be the focal point of the offense and carry them to victory from time to time. The rest of their rushing attack will be filled by Michael Bush and the game breaking rookie Taiwan Jones. Completing what looks like the best trio of RBs in the NFL. Teams will be forced to stack the box early and often and in doing so will be susceptible to big plays downfield to lightning fast Jacoby Ford and his 2011 PIC Denarius Moore and even.... dare I say.... Darius Heyward-bay? If he ever learns how to catch he might even get into the mix with an occasional play downfield. Jason Campbell will need time to unleash the deep ball which is something the raiders could struggle with. If given time however, he should be able to make things happen in the passing game whether it’s going long to ford and company, throwing newly acquired Kevin Boss underneath or dumping it off to McFadden in space. The loss of Nnamdi Asomugha will hurt their defense (2nd against the pass last season) but given their high volume rushing attack their D is likely to stay fresh longer, alleviating some of the pressure. Despite the loss of their Defensive player the Raiders are a team on the rise and an exciting one with their vast group of game breakers.

Kansas City Chiefs 6-10

The loss of OC Charlie Weis will prove costly for the defending AFC West champs. In the two games without him last season Matt Cassel posted the following stat lines: 11-33 for 115 yards 2 INTs 0TDs 9-18 for 70 yards 3INTs 0 TDs. These stat lines, although a very small sample size, are quite alarming to say the least. The releasing of perennial pro bowl Gaurd Brian Waters and the loss of TE Tony Moeaki (torn ACL) will also prove problematic. Waters a more then dependable blocker and Moeaki a sure handed safety valve who doubles as a big play threat (was expected to see an increased role in the offense being a major contributor) will be deeply missed. The additions of FA Steve Breaston (familiar with the offense) and high upside Rookie Johnathon Baldwin do bring hope. Unfortunately due to Baldwins character issues he injured himself in a scuffle with teammate Thomas Jones, sidelining him for potentially 6-8 weeks, limiting his impact. Steve Breaston and the rest of the offense have proved non-existent in the preseason. Just preseason, I know, but hard not to notice how utterly abysmal their showcase has been. The Chiefs rode their elite run game to success last season as they took full advantage of a soft schedule. This year however they must face the likes of the Pats, Steelers, Packers, Jets, Lions, Colts and of course their divisional foes twice each. The 2011 outlook is not too good for the KC Cheifs.

Denver Broncos 5-11

The Josh McDaniels era has ended and the John Fox era is about to kickoff. Fox will run the ball as much as he can, force feeding Moreno and McGahee, but when he’s had the weapons his offenses have had good passing totals. Remember once upon a time Jake Delhome was a pro bowler with 3,886 yards and 29 TDs season to his credit and Steve Smith was regarded as the best WR in football. Last season Kyle Orton threw for over 3600 yards and 20 TDs in just 13 games and Brandon Lloyd had a career high 1448 yard 11 TD out burst. Their Defense isn’t without flaws (finishing 32 last year.... dead last). The team will be forced to pass much more than John Fox would like but they will have success through the air via the cast of Lloyd, Demaryius Thomas, Eddie Royal and the emergence of Eric Decker. Von Miller will help improve their defense, leaving much less time for opposing QBs to throw, but miller can't bring back their defense to respectability on his own. The broncos will once again have opposing offenses foaming at the mouth the entire week leading up to their match ups.

The San Diego Chargers look primed to finally breakout of this division and emerge as the AFC representative in the Super Bowl