AFC West Status Report: Week 3

By Sonny Prier

Intrigue! Drama! Failure! Triumph! We've got it all... most.

Denver is schizophrenic. 
Manning put the black hat on Monday night in Atlanta to balance out week one's all too perfect debut. We Broncos fans needed our soaring expectations tempered a bit after that thrashing of Pittsburgh, but mother of God, P-Dawg... that was an emotional double tap. His first quarter 3 INT disintegration is the kind of thing only Browns fans should have to endure.

Nothing like tapenade... and career low performances... together.

Is it over? Hells to the no. Prognosis is still promising. That they made the Falcons sweat in the end despite being -4 on turnovers is a sad kind of impressive, BUT I'LL TAKE IT! The defense looks competent, and Peyton still seems able to carry an entire offense.


San Diego is mysteriously overrated. 
Some individuals are being awfully generous to the Chargers considering the horrid teams they've beaten. Tennessee and Oakland are primed to finish with a combined 0-32 record, yet mainstream sports media often overlook this while marveling over Norv Turner's incredible and nearly unprecedented 2-0 start. 25 other teams in the NFL could have just as easily rolled to 2-0 against the combo of OAK/TEN. There's a decent chance that Atlanta will bring a hard dose of reality to San Diego this week.


Oakland is ADORABLE! 
When I come home after a long, crushing day of being out in The World, my loyal dog is always there at the door. No matter what horrible surprises each unforgiving day brings, dog will be there, a comforting beacon of stability. That's how I feel about the Raiders. They're like a puppy! Good old reliable shitty Oakland. Thank you for always being there for me. Getting crushed by Miami, the consensus worst team in football? Classic Oakland! Lost to SD due to not bothering to train the backup long snapper? Classic Oakland! (By the way... did anyone see him doing any warmup long snaps on the sidelines between those failed punt attempts? Because I sure didn't! CLASSIC!) I love you guys.

"Scamp" doing his Carson Palmer impersonation.

Kansas City is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
My 10-6 division winners are a catastrophe. On the bright side, they've been so unfathomably bad that it'll be impossible for them to not improve. Would even go so far to say that they will beat NO this weekend on the road. But that's the hypothetical 1-2 Chiefs. These 0-2 Chiefs lead the NFL in laughability, a stat I just made up that scores a combination of crushed expectations and getting blown out by freaking Buffalo on a scale of 0 to Matt Leinart. Bonus points for local beat writers freaking the hell out.

Can Matt Leinart FINALLY Be Successful?

By:  Bobby Shores

A lot of the talk around the NFL right now is whether or not 6-year veteran quarterback Matt Leinart will finally be successful and shed the "bust" label that has plagued him since he was drafted back in 2006 when he takes over for an injured Matt Schaub. Most of the experts agree that the team around him is good enough to mask any of his deficiencies, and while I want to think that Leinart can finally turn his career around (I had him as my 2nd best QB in the '06 draft behind Cutler, so I want him to perform well so that I look better), I have my doubts.

We all know the Texans have an explosive and balanced offense around Leinart, and there is no need to go over the stats. In fact Leinart should be comfortable in the huddle as this offense and its weapons remind me of the USC offense that helped him win the Heisman, a National Championship and made him the 10th overall pick in the draft. It has playmakers at every position:

-Reggie Bush & LenDale White = Arian Foster & Ben Tate

-Dwayne Jarrett & Steve Smith = Andre Johnson & Jacoby Jones

-Dominique Byrd & Fred Davis = Owen Daniels

The Texans offense is led by an elite offensive line that has only allowed 16 sacks this year and has paved the way for the NFL's 3rd ranked rushing attack (158.1 yards per game). Not only will Leinart have the benefit of a ground game that demands respect, he will have plenty of time to sit in the pocket and go through his progressions. And that is when he is dangerous!

Another knock on Leinart has been his downfield throwing ability, but with Arian Foster and Ben Tate both premier receiving options out of the backfield, tight end Owen Daniels patrolling the middle of the field looking for holes in the zones and Andre Johnson back in the lineup able to turn short passes into big gains, Leinart won't struggle he could be dominate.

Wade Phillip's defense that is ranked in the top 10 in most categories is excellent at getting off the field, therefore giving the offense maximum time and opportunities to score. How do they get the offense back on the field so quickly? By only allowing opposing offenses to convert 31.4% of 3rd downs, and a lot of the time they don't even allow them to get to the 3rd down because they are 3rd in the league in interceptions (14) and are 7th in fumble recoveries (6). In the NFL, the more opportunities an offense has to score, the more points they will put up.

Enough about the offense and defense, probably the biggest factor in Leinart's success over the coming weeks will be the Texans schedule. In the next 6 weeks they face Jaguars, Falcons, Bengals, Panthers, Colts, and Titans. Going 4-2 is not only realistic but very likely.

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