All four AFC West teams started off the season with a win, but the Raiders, Chargers, and Chiefs all face tough matchups in Week 2.
(CBS Denver) — All four AFC West teams won their first game. The Denver Broncos used a steady performance from new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to dispense with the New York Giants on the road. The Las Vegas Raiders topped the Baltimore Ravens in a thrilling overtime matchup to open their new stadium. The Los Angeles Chargers, under new coach Brandon Staley, looked impressive against the Washington Football Team’s top-rated defense. And the Kansas City Chiefs came back from 12 points down and then held off the Cleveland Browns to win. The West is the only undefeated division in the AFC. (The NFC West also opened with four wins.) With no matchups within the division this week, all four teams could continue their winning ways. But it won’t necessarily be easy. While the Broncos get a favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Raiders, Chargers, and Chiefs don’t have it quite so easy. The Raiders travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, who opened their season in impressive fashion. The Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys, looking to bounce back from a tough loss. And the Chiefs meet the Ravens, who are also hoping to put a heartbreaking Week 1 loss behind them. As the first overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence looked like the real deal. But the Jaguars are still far from a good team. They won one game last year, and struggled against the Houston Texans to open the season. While Lawrence had 332 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, he also missed plenty of receivers. The Broncos’ defense, however, is a giant step up from the Texans’. “It doesn’t shape up to be a great day for Trevor Lawrence, especially with what we saw against Houston,” Hartstein notes. “They were playing one of the worst defenses in all of football, and they were down 34-7. He threw three interceptions. He did get some points late to make it 37-21, a little bit more respectable. But now you go up against a defensive mastermind in Vic Fangio.” The Broncos defense kept the Giants on their heals all last Sunday. Saquon Barkley picked up just 26 yards on 10 carries in his return. Daniel Jones struggled to get the offense going. And the offense only managed just 13 points. Can the Jaguars do any better? “I think the Jaguars, with that offense, which doesn’t seem to be an NFL type of offense, with the pre-snap move motion, the formations, it’s not as complex as I think you need to be to be to beat Vic Fangio,” Hartstein believes. “So I think we’ll see big mistakes from Trevor Lawrence. I think we’ll see the Broncos play a very clean game, and I think they’ll get to 2-0. And I think they’ll cover the number.” Bridgewater, on the other hand, seems to be a step up for the Broncos at the QB position. He’s the QB the Broncos have been seeking since Peyton Manning retired.
