AFC West Roundup: Week 1
The Broncos and Raiders were victorious, while the Chargers fell to the Chiefs in overtime. (Photos by AP)
The Broncos started the 2016 season in the same fashion that they ended the 2015 campaign: with a win. They earned the season-opening 21-20 win over the Panthers in dramatic fashion as a potential game-winning field goal by Graham Gano went wide left. After falling behind 10 points, the Broncos roared back in the fourth quarter as DeMarcus Ware, Chris Harris Jr., Von Miller and the rest of the Denver defense began to jell. Trevor Siemian, who made his first career regular-season start, led the offense to two touchdown drives in the final quarter and put the team in position to win. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton posed issues for the Broncos as he threw for 194 yards and a touchdown and earned another one on the ground. Denver contained him in the fourth quarter, though, as the team fought its way back into the game. Next week: vs. Indianapolis
It wasn't over until Panthers kicker Graham Gano missed a 50-yard field goal with nine seconds to go in the game. It looked the like the Broncos had sealed it when they pushed the Panthers into a 4th-and-21 situation, but a defensive penalty kept the Panthers alive and gave them a chance. Gano nailed the first kick, but Head Coach Gary Kubiak called a timeout before the snap that forced Gano to kick again. He wasn't as accurate the second time around.
Top performer: C.J. Anderson92 rushing yards, 1 TD47 receiving yards, 1 TD
The Raiders bounced back from a double-digit deficit late in the fourth quarter and scored a two-point conversion with 47 seconds left to beat New Orleans, 35-34. Jalen Richard led the Raiders on the ground with a 75-yard touchdown run, while Derek Carr threw for 319 yards and a touchdown. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for four touchdowns, zero interceptions and 423 yards in a losing effort. That output included a 98-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that put the Saints up by 14 points. The Raiders' offense would find its rhythm in the fourth quarter, though, and they outscored the Saints 21-10 down the stretch to grab the win. Next week: vs. Atlanta
It was over when Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio decided to go for two when Oakland scored a touchdown with 47 seconds remaining. The bold strategy paid off for the Raiders as Michael Crabtree hauled in a reception on a fade route to the left side of the end zone.
Top performer: Amari Cooper Six receptions, 137 yards
Coming off a 4-12 season in 2015, the Chargers seemed destined to rebound in a difficult division game to open the season in Kansas City. Touchdowns from running backs Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead gave San Diego a 21-3 lead at halftime. But the lead was not insurmountable. With wide receiver Keenan Allen out with a season-ending knee injury, San Diego's offense could not find the same success it had in the first half. The Chiefs stormed back to tie the game with a field goal and touchdown in the final four minutes to send the game to overtime. After opening overtime with a 20-yard pass, Kansas City drove for the 33-27 win, capping the game-winning drive with a quarterback keeper on an option run at the goal line. Next week for San Diego: vs. JaguarsNext week for Kansas City: @ Houston
When it was over: Alex Smith took the snap out of the pistol and found a gap in the Chargers defense to dive over the line to get in the end zone on third down.
Top performer (KC): QB Alex Smith34-of-48 passing, 363 yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, one interception Top performer (SD): Offensive lineIt's hard to quantify how well an offensive line does, but San Diego's unit paved the way for a great rushing day (155 net yards rushing) and allowed only sack and just three quarterback hits.
