Fourteen points were all that separated the scores in the three AFC West games this week. The Chiefs was the closest in terms of the score, as they came from behind and barely held on to beat the Panthers 33-31.
The closest game to going the other direction was the Raiders and Chargers which came down to two touchdown passes in the final six seconds that were both in the hands of the receiver only to fall incomplete. And the Raiders escaped with a 31-26 win in Los Angeles.
It wasn’t competitive for most of the Broncos vs Falcons. The Falcons were ahead 34-13 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, looking like they would cruise to a win. It looked like the game had entered garbage time, but the Broncos would score two more touchdowns to make it a one-score game and then get the ball back with 44 seconds left. Then three straight incompletions and a fumble on fourth down ended their hopes of a big comeback win.
In the end, all the drama resulted in the two winning teams winning and the two losing teams losing, widening the gap in the middle of the division.
AFC West standings
1. Kansas City Chiefs 8-1 (2-1)
2. Las Vegas Raiders 5-3 (2-0)
3. Denver Broncos 3-5 (1-1)
4. Las Angeles Chargers 2-6 (0-3)
Week 10
Raiders vs Broncos
Chargers at Miami Dolphins (5-3)
Chiefs BYE
[lawrence-newsletter]