AFC West Preview with Alex Bleuel

In this episode, Alex Bleuel and I preview the AFC West, which saw thw Chiefs win for the sixth straight season. The Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos followed KC in the division standings. First, we look at the Chiefs. After six straight AFC West crowns, the Chiefs will begin 2022 looking for their second Lombardi Trophy in four seasons. While Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are still one of the best coach-quarterback duos in the NFL, this year's offense will be different. KC traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. We debate how the Chiefs will replace the NFL's biggest deep threat on offense. From Kansas City to Las Vegas, we look at the Raiders, which added Davante Adams in a mega deal from the Green Bay Packers. Adams and Carr were teammates at Fresno State, where Adams caught 24 touchdowns in 2013. Despite having his college teammate, I believe Adams will not be as productive without aaron Rodgers throwing him the football. Las Vegas also features Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller as dominant receiving options. The Chargers are next in the AFC West discussions. LA added Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson to a team featuring Justin Herbert, Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler on offense. We both agree the Chargers need to make the playoffs with one of the NFL's best young passers on a rookie contract. Despite Herbert throwing for 5,014 yards, the Bolts felt short of making the playoffs - losing a Week 18 heartbreaker in Vegas. We then move onto Denver, which made the NFL's biggest addition in acquiring long-time Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson in a blockbuster deal. I make a prediction this Denver team could rival his best Seahawk teams. We also look at whether Wilson could replicate Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford winning Super Bowls in their first seasons with new teams. Before giving our divisional picks, I believe this year's AFC West might be the best quarterback division ever. With Mahomes, Herbert, Russ, and Carr, this division features four of the NFL's top-10 quarterbacks. I then quiz Alex on Darren Sproles's 328-yard performance from the San Diego Chargers 2008 AFC Wild Card win over the Colts. We conclude this episode with our picks. Alex likes the Chargers while I predict the Broncos to win this division.