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KC Chiefs Tied For First in AFC West After Week One

Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West (35) celebrates with tight end Travis Kelce (87) - Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs running back Charcandrick West (35) celebrates with tight end Travis Kelce (87) - Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The KC Chiefs managed to squeak out a win on Sunday, despite trailing by as much as 21 points. The victory kept the team in first place in the AFC West.

Sure, it’s only the first week of the NFL season, but a win is a win, and the Kansas City Chiefs started their season off with a win.

Not only did the Chiefs win, but they were able to knock off a divisional opponent in their season opener. This ended up being huge, as the Broncos and Raiders both won their games as well.

Had the Chiefs lost to San Diego, they’d possess sole possession of last place in the AFC West after only one week. Yes, that might seem a bit dramatic to dwell on that possibility, but trailing division opponents at any time during the season is not necessarily ideal.

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The Chiefs looked horrendous in the first half against the Chargers, allowing Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, and last year’s rookie bust Melvin Gordon to march down the field on three straight possessions. A reminder of the 2014 season opener against Tennessee was lurking in the back of Chiefs fans’ minds.

Alex Smith stepped up though, and carried the team on his back en route to a victory. It turned out to be huge too, as the Raiders showed they had balls by going for two against the Saints to pull out a victory in the Big Easy.

Denver, an underdog at home to the Panthers, pulled out all of the stops too to notch their first victory of the season this past Thursday.

With the Broncos and Raiders both winning, the Chiefs put themselves in a great position by also being victorious. Not only that, but they automatically sent San Diego to the cellar of the division, so they essentially killed two birds with one stone.

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As for the week two match-ups, the KC Chiefs will travel to Houston, which could be a difficult game for them. Hopefully their defense tightens some stuff up because the Texans have multiple scary receivers, but namely… They have DeAndre Hopkins, who scares the crap out of me on the gridiron. He’s insanely talented.

The Texans also have one of the best defenses in football, so Alex Smith needs to put on that same second half performance in this game.

Not only do the Chiefs have the toughest game in week two out of all of the AFC West teams, but they’re the only team to play on the road this upcoming week as well. The Raiders will welcome in the Falcons to the Black Hole for their home opener, the Broncos host the Colts, and the Chargers host the Jaguars.

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While it’s still probably too early to be talking too much about the standings, the Chiefs must keep pace in the AFC West this season. The Raiders are much improved and the Broncos showed that they’re not done being relevant yet.

The only way to win the division is to win one game at a time. Let’s just hope this not one doesn’t come down to overtime, and that the Kansas City Chiefs win it with ease.

Oh and in case you were wondering… The Chiefs’ next AFC West match-up will be in week six against Oakland. They won’t see the Chargers again until the final game of the regular season.