You Have to Love the AFC West

Even though it holds a spot as one of the worst conferences in the NFL, the AFC West has always managed to be an attention grabber. The division features four NFL teams, two of which play at the Pop Warner level, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Also, a Denver Broncos team that gets a lucky start to the season because their new head coach was a former pupil of New England Patriots wonder-coach, Bill Belichick. Finally to round it out, a San Diego Chargers team whose players are the only thing keeping their coaching staff from working as high school defensive coordinators in North Dakota.

In recent years, the AFC West has not been disappointing for the Chargers. With help from the division, the Chargers have proved that you can start the season off 2-3 and still have a great chance of making the post-season. Now if you're a Broncos fan, the AFC West can be your worst nightmare. For the past few years, it's seemed as if Denver has always been scrambling around, they win a game here, they lose two here, then win another one. Denver has not been a consistent organization, and up until the start of the 2009 campaign, Denver was seen as a team with no guidance just trying to find it's way through the regular season. NFL analysts were flabbergasted when all of the sudden the Denver Broncos were 6-0, 3.5 games ahead in the conference, and destined for post-season glory. In a matter of four short weeks the dread that once was, has returned.

The Broncos have lost three straight games, while the Chargers have won four straight. The Chargers came from 2-3 to 6-3 to be tied with the Broncos in the AFC West. No team in NFL history has been up by 3.5 games and not made it to the playoffs.

Now, it's up to the Chargers to create their own destiny. After the loss to the Broncos, I jokingly said that now they were going to win out the season and finish 13-3 with home field advantage in the post-season. This joke now looks more plausible than ever. After the Broncos, the Chargers might have the easiest schedule in the NFL to finish up the season. Except for the December 13 game in Dallas against the Cowboys, the Chargers should easily defeat everyone else on the schedule.

The playoff picture is in the Chargers hands. A win in Denver this week places them solely at the number one spot in the AFC West, lines them up nicely for another division win, and yet another chance at the immaculate Super Bowl berth that San Diego has been without since 1994.