The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of momentum in the AFC West after a big Week 2 win over a division rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, which keeps the Raiders in first place and pushes the Chargers to the bottom of the standings at 0-2. On that note, let’s check in on how the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs fared on Sunday.
Broncos vs. Jaguars
Score: 20-13 Broncos win
Key Stats:
- QB Bo Nix: 22/31 (71.0%), 288 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- RB Jonah Coleman: 10 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
- WR Jaylen Waddle: 8 catches, 138 yards
- DT Malcolm Roach: 4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 2 TFLs
- CB Riley Moss: 2 tackles, 3 PDs
Unlike the Chargers, the Denver Broncos managed to escape and avoid digging themselves into a 0-2 hole during their home opener on Sunday.
But “escape” is the keyword there, as Denver trailed by two possessions early in the second half and didn’t take the lead until about halfway through the fourth quarter. The Broncos haven’t looked very impressive during the first two weeks, getting blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. Then again, they have played a pair of good opponents, and this is a team that one-possession won its way to a 14-3 record and the AFC Championship last year. The scary part about Denver’s victory over Jacksonville is that Waddle, the club’s big offseason addition, announced his presence on Sunday.
Next Week: vs. Los Angeles Rams (SNF)
Chiefs vs. Colts
Score: 33-30 Chiefs win in OT
Key Stats:
- QB Patrick Mahomes: 32/47 (68.1%), 382 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
- RB Kenneth Walker: 24 carries, 117 yards, 6 catches, 61 receiving yards
- TE Travis Kelce: 9 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD
- LB Nick Bolton: 13 tackles, 1 TFL
- LB Drue Tranquill: 8 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 PD
After Week 1, this game looked like it would be a cakewalk for the Chiefs. However, it was anything but, with an overtime victory that required two scoring drives from Mahomes and Co. Kansas City’s defense showed some cracks, giving up 119 rushing yards (92 to Jonathan Taylor) and 30 points while failing to sack Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Daniel Jones. However, the Chiefs’ offense appears to be back after a couple of down years, especially with Walker accounting for nearly 180 yards from scrimmage after 191 last week. That could set up for an interesting battle at Allegiant Stadium in a couple of weeks…
Next Week: @ Miami Dolphins
Standings
- Las Vegas 2-0 (+26 point differential)
- Kansas City 2-0 (+24)
- Denver 1-1 (-14)
- Los Angeles (-24)
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Pressure is up: “The Las Vegas Raiders defense generated a 45.2% pressure rate (81st percentile) against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2,” per Sumer Sports’ Shawn Syed. “The Raiders defense currently ranks 2nd in the league with a 51.5% pressure rate (98th percentile over two games since 2022).”
- Brock Bowers close to returning: The tight end was spotted running routes (without pads) during pre-game warm-ups, and Klint Kubiak told reporters Bowers was “very close” to playing in LA, via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.
- Raiders look well-coached: “But, they were, by far, the better, more efficient team Sunday as they beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 to improve to 2-0 under new head coach Klint Kubiak,” S&BP’s Bill Williamson wrote. “…Yes, it’s early, but the Raiders appear to be a much improved team and, just as importantly, a well-coached team by Kubiak and his staff.”
- Raiders still underdogs: Despite being 2-0, the opening odds have Las Vegas as 3.5-point underdogs against the New Orleans Saints next week.
