Analysis: Kansas City Chiefs still in AFC West driver’s seat despite so many blunders, butterfingers
Associated PressThe AFC West title was ripe to get wrested from the Kansas City Chiefs this season, yet their division rivals dug themselves into big holes once again. Mahomes’ receivers have been butterfingers all season, which should have jeopardized their status as the AFC West’s biggest bully if only: — The Broncos hadn’t lost at home to underdogs led by the likes of the Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo, the Commanders’ Sam Howell, the Jets’ Zach Wilson and the Patriots Bailey Zappe, a less-than-fearsome foursome of quarterbacks who are a combined 9-23 against everybody else this season. — Raiders owner Mark Davis hadn’t been so enamored with Josh McDaniels, who bombed with the Broncos and bailed on the Colts, that he bypassed Rich Bisaccia for the fulltime head coaching job after his longtime special teams coordinator took over for the fired Jon Gruden in 2021 and went 7-5, leading the Raiders to the playoffs. Even if the Raiders or Broncos fail to catch Kansas City this year, there’s hope for 2024 for all of the Chiefs’ division rivals. Of course, the Chiefs figure to fix their epidemic of dropped passes next season, too, so the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers had better keep getting better or Kansas City’s reign will keep rolling right along.