KC Chiefs: What we learned about the AFC West after Week 13

The KC Chiefs moved to 11-1 and increased their lead in the AFC West. What did we learn about the division?

There were three different games in the AFC West this week: the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Broncos while the Chargers hosted the Patriots and the Raiders faced the winless Jets on the road. The Chiefs and Raiders came out of their games with victories while the Broncos and Chargers continued to pile up losses.

Let’s check out what we learned about each team in the division after Week 13, starting with a near disaster for the Raiders.

What did we learn about the Las Vegas Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders were seconds away from their season essentially ending, but they managed to come away with a miraculous 31-28 victory. Of course, this would all be a lot more impressive if the Raiders didn’t do all of this against the winless Jets.

The fact that the Raiders struggled so badly against a team as bad as the Jets probably isn’t a good sign for them as far as their playoff hopes go. The Raiders have played the Chiefs well this year, but they’ve laid eggs against pretty much everyone else.

With all of that said, it’d be hypocritical of me to look the other way when the Chiefs squeak out ugly wins, but trash the Raiders so here’s my compliment — It was an impressive finish for the Raiders. They should have blown out the Jets, but when it came down to it, they did what needed to be done and barely won the football game, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

What we learned about the Raiders is that this team is trending downward for sure. Yes, they won this game, but after their atrocious outing against the Falcons and narrowly losing to the Jets, it really does feel like the Chiefs broke the Raiders when the two met in Week 11.

Next up: The Raiders have a chance to prove they’re still for real when they head home for a date with the playoff-contending Colts. The game takes place in the late window of games on Sunday.