The AFC West had one of it’s most successful weeks so far. let’s see what went down

Denver Broncos fans can finally rejoice at the fact that they won a game and avoided getting blown out by the official worst team in the league, the Chicago Bears. But we all know that there is a very large portion of you that are actually mad that they won. What a year. At least we can all be happy that the Raiders lost.

And the rest of the division, or likely even the rest of the league, can all point out that, once again, the Kansas City Chiefs really lucked out and won a game in large part to the lucky calls or non-calls that they got. Patrick Mahomes continues to be his generation’s Tom Brady.

Let’s break things down and see how the AFC West did this week.

Denver Broncos @ Chicago Bears

Final score: 31-28

Recap: It seemed like the Broncos were going to have a fairly straightforward win on Sunday after starting the game off with an 11-play, 84-yard touchdown drive on their first time on offense. That would not be the case as Denver would give up 28 straight points. Justin Fields looked as good as he ever has, finishing the first half with just one incompletion, setting a franchise record in the process.

It wasn’t until the second half that the Broncos started to put things together. Surprisingly, they would only give up seven points the entire half and would score 24 unanswered points, grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat. Russell Wilson now is 10th all-time in 4th quarter comebacks, surpassing Joe Montana and Eli Manning.

Russell Wilson is now near the top of the league in most passing stats, Marvin Mims Jr. is still the most explosive player in the league, and there is a chance that UDFA Jaleel McLaughlin will end up as the starting running back this season. Maybe the Broncos have finally learned to win. Probably not, but we’ll see.

Injury concerns: RB Javonte Williams is day-to-day with a hip flexor injury.

Week 5 matchup: New York Jets @ Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers

Final score: 17-24

Recap: With Jimmy Garoppolo still in concussion protocol, the rookie quarterback from Purdue, Aidan O’Connell, got the nod. And then he was subsequently thrown under the bus by his head coach. Great stuff, Josh McDaniels.

The real story of this game was how insane Khalil Mack looked. He would rack up six (six!) sacks against the Las Vegas Raiders. Talk about a revenge game that’s been brewing for five years. The rest of the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense would end up forcing three turnovers on two fumbles and an INT off of O’Connell.

It was definitely the defense that won L.A. this game. Justin Herbert finished with a pedestrian 167 passing yards, one touchdown, and one INT, and the team would rush for 155 yards. It’s good news for the rest of the division that the Chargers struggled against the Raiders. There’s a chance that these struggles last for the season, or just might be temporary and will go away when Austin Ekeler returns.

Injury concerns: WR Davante Adams left the game briefly with a shoulder injury but returned. There has been no update on if he’ll miss time or not. QB Jimmy Garoppolo is still in concussion protocol.

QB Justin Herbert suffered a broken finger on his left hand but is not expected to miss any time.

Week 5 matchup: Green Bay Packers @ Las Vegas Raiders

Kansas City Chiefs @ New York Jets

Final score: 23-20

Recap: From the start, it seemed like the Sunday Night Football game was going to be another unentertaining blowout by the Chiefs, but it would be nearly the opposite. In fact, Zach Wilson would actually out-duel Patrick Mahomes in a tightly contested contest.

The Chiefs would get out to a quick 17-point lead in the first quarter, but the New York Jets would turn things around in the second quarter, starting with a safety caused by a facemask call on OT Jawann Taylor in the endzone that resulted in a safety.

New York looked like they were on their way to a comeback victory, that is at least until Wilson fumbled a snap, which resulted in the Chiefs getting the ball back with 7:24 left in the game, and they would not give the ball back. Kansas City fans everywhere should be thanking the officials though. There were plenty of missed holding calls and a bad holding call against the Jets on a play that resulted in what should have been Mahomes’ third INT on the night. The white hat even looked disappointed when he had to call a holding penalty against the Chiefs. But you can’t be surprised by Kansas City, once again, being benefited by some egregious calls.

Injury concerns: LB Cole Christiansen left the game with a pulled hamstring.

Week 5 matchup: Kansas City Chiefs @ Minnesota Vikings

Week 5 predictions

Last week I was able to pick all games correctly. It wasn’t the hardest week of predictions, but nonetheless, I was perfect. My season record now stands at 11-5.

This week I’ll, maybe stupidly, be taking the Broncos over the Jets. I really hope they don’t get lit up by Hackett’s offense. The Chiefs will take out the Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay Packers will be able to knock off the Raiders.

Drop your predictions in the comments!