AFC West: Biggest question for each team in 2021

Kansas City Chiefs: Which version of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense will show up in 2021?

In 2018, Andy Reid’s team scored the third-most points in the season (565) in NFL history. But the Chiefs also allowed a whopping 421 points. And the club would lose, 37-31, in overtime at home to the Patriots in the AFC title games.

In ’19, the franchise hired Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator but the struggles continued 10 games into the season. But the unit righted the ship and it helped propel the club to a nine-game overall winning streak — including a victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. And that solid play was evident early into 2020.

But Spagnuolo’s group slumped the back half of last season and wasn’t nearly as effective down the stretch. The Chiefs put a lot into rebuilding their offensive line in 2021 and understandably so. But can the defense recapture that championship form?

Las Vegas Raiders: Can this team avoid another late-season fade?

“Always Be Closing!” Those are the words of Alec Baldwin’s character Blake in the legendary Glengarry Glen Ross.

That has certainly been the problem for the Silver and Black the past two seasons. The Raiders haven’t made a playoff appearance since 2016 and the club’s combined record the past three seasons under head coach Jon Gruden is a combined 19-29.

In 2019, the Raiders won six of their first 10 games but dropped five of their last six contests. This past season, Gruden’s club owned a 6-3 mark and wound up an 8-8 team.

The major bugaboo has been the defense, which hasn’t been able to get out of its own way for nearly a decade. The newest coordinator is Gus Bradley, who inherits a unit that allowed 52 offensive touchdowns while ranking 25th in the league in total yards allowed. A lot of work to do.