Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs and Brandon Staley’s Los Angeles Chargers are two of the seven teams in the AFC with winning records at the moment. But who knows what the final 10 games will mean for these longtime division rivals?
While the Chiefs and Chargers were getting some rest, the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders were both on the road. How did those teams fare in Week 8 and what is the current state of the AFC West? And there are grades for Reid’s and Staley’s club.
NFL 2022: Grades for teams coming off Week 8 Bye
Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
Andy Reid’s club had an extra week to savor their 44-23 victory at San Francisco. It marked the third time in seven games this season that the club scored at least 41 points – all vs. NFC teams. The team is all alone atop the AFC West and owns a 2-0 record vs. its division rivals.
The Chiefs are averaging an NFL-best 31.9 points per game and talented Patrick Mahomes has made great use of newcomers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Grade: A-
Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
Inconsistency has been the trademark of this team in recent years. The defense has been erratic this season and has already allowed 20 offensive touchdowns in seven games. Justin Herbert has had some ups and downs. He’s thrown for 2,009 yards and 12 TDs but has turned over the ball six times.
With Keenan Allen hurting, Austin Ekeler has become Herbert’s favorite target. He’s already caught 53 passes and leads the Bolts with eight touchdowns.
Grade: B-
Aftermath
Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum for the other two AFC West teams in Week 8. The Denver Broncos made their way to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. And Nathaniel Hackett’s team rallied for a 21-17 victory. Down by three points with under four minutes to play, quarterback Russell Wilson led the team on a seven-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a Latavius Murray touchdown run with 103 seconds remaining on the clock.
There was no such joy for the Las Vegas Raiders, who were blanked by the Saints at New Orleans, 24-0. Josh McDaniel’s offense managed just 183 total yards. Las Vegas’ defense allowed 367 total yards and failed to come up with a sack or takeaway.
Both the Broncos (off in Week 9) and Raiders remained behind both the Chiefs and Chargers in the AFC West standings.