AFC West Betting Preview

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The AFC West has largely been regarded as the NFL’s most competitive division. With three of the league’s best running games, the AFC West is always tough to predict. But the Chargers can lay claim to this division since the other three teams are going through questionable transitions at the key position of quarterback.

San Diego Chargers - +600 to win Super Bowl XLII - -175 to win AFC West

So let me get this straight. The Chargers lost Marty Shottenheimer, Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron as their three main coaches, and replaced them with Norv Turner? Yikes.

To be fair, Turner’s role as an offensive coordinator in San Francisco last season helped turn the Niners in to a potential playoff team. With LT2, Philip Rivers and a strong receiving corps, the Chargers could be a fool-proof team, even in Turner’s hands.

The Chargers will be without the services of veteran Keenan McCardell, but Antonio Gates, Eric Parker and Vincent Jackson are a formidable, if unspectacular, trio. And when LT is running behind that overwhelming offensive line, the Chargers will have no problems scoring.

The defense returns in full force. The front three of Jamal Williams, Igor Olshansky and Luis Castillo is dominating. Then there’s Shawn “Lights Out” Merriman who is quickly becoming the most feared defensive player in football.

The problem with the Chargers remains their secondary, which remains extremely vulnerable. But that’s a small price to pay when the front seven are getting in to the backfield so often.

The Chargers are third behind the Patriots and the Colts to win Super Bowl XLII, and for good reason. Many felt that Marty was becoming predictable and he was unable to produce in the playoffs. Turner proved himself in San Fran as a solid offensive co-coordinator, and the injection of new coaching blood may be what the Chargers need.

With the Colts taking such a hit on the offensive side of the ball, the Chargers will be the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC, let alone the whole NFL. Be wary of new coaches though. Only one has ever won a Super Bowl with a brand new squad (Gruden and the Bucs in 2002).

Denver Broncos - +2000 to win Super Bowl XLII - +150 to win AFC West

The Broncos are an interesting team to watch. They consistently run the ball effectively, and Travis Henry returned to form behind a shoddy Titans backfield last season. Expect Mike Shanahan to get the most out of Henry.

Quarterback Jay Cutler came in to his own in place of Jake Plummer, and Shanahan's trust was not misplaced. With the ageless Rod Smith and Javon Walker running routes, Cutler will be hard pressed to fail. He has a canon for an arm and may be just the man to bring big play ball back to Denver.

The secondary is what has Denver excited the most. It wasn’t enough that they had shutdown corner Champ Bailey and the ever vigilant John Lynch. No, they had to go ahead and pick up another shut down corner in Dre Bly. The Broncos will be impossible to throw against, unless teams simply get lucky.

Running against the Broncos will also prove difficult as the star-less front seven of the Broncos has been a consistently strong run defense in the NFL for seasons. As much as you may despise Mike Shanahan, he is one of the premier coaches in the NFL.

Everyone knows that defense wins championships, and this defense looks down right silly. The offense has the capability to torch the scoreboard. At +2000, the Broncos are a great bet to not only make the playoffs, but unseat the Chargers for the division crown.

Kansas City Chiefs - +6000 to win Super Bowl XLII - +800 to win AFC West

Versatile power running back Larry Johnson is the motor of this engine, but he is currently in a holdout because he is making a vastly undervalued salary of $1.7 million. Expect the Chiefs to reward his services in a big way.

The curious move here was releasing Trent Green and relying on Damon Huard to be the full-time starter. Huard had one of the better and more consistent seasons at quarterback last year, which is reason to have faith in him, but the team has a lot of offensive question marks.

Tony Gonzalez and Eddie Kennison are getting on in age, and while Togo revitalized his career last year, Kennison has not made the ‘big jump’ as a number one receiver. Sami Parker certainly is not going to deliver any huge numbers as a receiver. This makes the draft pick of Dwayne Bowe from LSU so vital to the success of the Chiefs.

Bowe will pan out in the NFL. He has the body, the hands, the speed and the tenacity to be a force running routes. With Johnson commanding so much attention defensively, Bowe and Kennison will be available in one-on-one coverage. Now it’s up to Huard to make the most out of them.

The thing you have to wonder about the Chiefs is whether Huard can handle the pressure of being the go-to guy. The man has the character and the talent, but being the full-time starter in football crazy Arrowhead Stadium is a big task. Can he put up the 4000+ yard seasons of Trent Green? That remains to be seen.

Defensively the Chiefs are solid, albeit a tad old. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain will be leaders in a locker room full of potential, but the defense must step up and keep points off the board.

At +6000, the Chiefs are a longshot to win the Super Bowl, but they will be a competitive team. Playoffs are out of the question with Denver and San Diego being so strong, but the Chiefs may surprise some people. It may be a stretch, but you wouldn’t be unwise to take a flyer on a team with this much talent and those sexy odds.

Oakland Raiders - +15 000 to win Super Bowl XLII - +1200 to win AFC West

Wow, even I didn’t think the Raiders were bad enough to get +15000! That’s crazy. Ok, maybe not entirely crazy. After spending a few years being the laughing stock of the league, Al Davis and the silver and black attack got the coach they wanted in young Lane Kiffen from USC.

They also got the quarterback they wanted in LSU’s Jamarcus Russell, who went number one in the draft this year. Russell will compete with Josh McCown for the starting job, but the Raiders will be impatient in his progress and Russell should be starting by Week Three, if he hasn’t secured the starting spot by Week One.

The offensive line is still troublesome, but the rest of the weapons are there. Jerry Porter is much happier under the Kiffen regime and should produce alongside Doug Gabriel, Ronald Curry and the newly acquired Mike Williams who played under Kiffen at USC.

The Raiders also have four promising backs, and one of them is bound to emerge (Right? Am I crazy for thinking this?). Lamont Jordan has proven that he is simply not starter material. The offensive line didn’t help much, but Jordan simply lacks the tools necessary to succeed in Kiffen’s offense.

Justin Fargas and Dominic Rhodes will compete to back him up and eventually usurp him. I like Fargas in that race, but then Louisville’s Michael Bush is there too and he is a sensational talent and may very well be the future of the Raider backfield.
With the vast amount of new faces on the Raider organization (quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and coaches) the offense will stumble in 2007-08. They may be a force in coming seasons, if Russell pans out, which is still a big ‘if.’ The defense is still rock solid, but keep your money safe and away from the Black Hole that is the Raiders.

With 2007 NFL games still a ways away, we at the BetUS.com sportsbook will keep your interest high throughout the NFL offseason with the most exciting and innovative NFL props and NFL futures on the online sports betting market. In the Sportsbook in the Future / Props section, you will see NFL Futures, Specials and Week One NFL Lines for all your favorite NFL teams.

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