Preseason Takeaways: AFC West Week 1

By Ben Rolfe

The first full week of games for the AFC West brought some interesting observations.

It was always going to be hard for the on field product to steal the AFC West headlines this week. While there will be more on those off field antics later there were four games for us to look at in this division this week.

What were the key takeaways? Who improved their stock and whose stock took a downturn in week 1 of the preseason? 

1. Run game shines without Melvin Gordon

It was a strong day for the Chargers run game despite the hold out of their star running back. Austin Ekeler carried the ball five times for 40 yards and Justin Jackson had 22 yards on his five carries. Ekeler added three catches on three targets for 29 yards, but did blot his copy book with a fumble.

Perhaps the real headline should have been the offensive line, which opened up the holes for this running game. Even with Russell Okung missing this line impressed. Gordon will have been enthused and dismayed by this game. On one hand his offensive line looks ready to open big holes for him. On the other side they may look so good the Chargers believe anyone could run the ball effectively and refuse to pay him.

Broncos

2. Drew Lock still a major question mark

It is never ideal when your new rookie QB is the third strong option in a playoff game, but that is what happened here. Kevin Hogan was the first QB in the game after Joe Flacco’s opening drive, but his 3-of-7 for 27 yards did not set the benchmark very high.

However, Lock did not shine either, given it was against the fringe defenders on the Seahawks roster. He went 17-of-29 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Right now that QB depth chart in Denver is Joe Flacco and a big gap to everyone else.

3. The Chiefs are the Chiefs

There should perhaps be concern about how the Bengals took the ball down the field on the Chiefs on their first drive. 14 plays culminating in a touchdown is not what you want to see, but you also don’t know how much the Chiefs were truly showing. On the offensive side of the ball, Mecole Hardman showed why opposing defenses should fear everyone on this Chiefs offense.

4. A quiet day in Oakland

The game in Oakland really did not mean much. Neither team used their starters and so defenses dominated. Mike Glennon managed to play worse than Nathan Peterman which should be a headline in itself. Defensively the Raiders managed just one sack, despite facing the Rams backups, which is concerning.

However, mostly the headlines in Oakland are found off the field these days.

5. The Antonio Brown situation

Just when you think getting frostbite in a cryotherapy chamber was weird. Antonio brown took it to another level this week. If you want the full story here is a thread from Michael Silver you should absolutely read.

Ben Rolfe

Head of NFL Content

BEN IS THE HEAD OF NFL CONTENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN  ALSO FIND HIS WORK AT; FFSTATISTICS, PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK & ROTOBALLER. FOLLOW BEN @BENROLFE15 ON TWITTER.

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