Summer Scramble: AFC West Burning Questions and Prediction

It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days.

FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it Summer Scramble. This morning we look at some Burning Questions in the AFC West and offer a ridiculously early prediction of how the division will finish.

Is Philip Rivers underappreciated?

Peter King pointed this out in May, but Rivers' 2008 season was as statistically impressive as any by any quarterback in recent memory, if not all time. He threw for 4,009 yards with a completion percentage of 65.3. He threw 34 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He led the league in passing yards per attempt (8.39) and touchdowns per pass attempt (7.1 percent of his passes went for TDs). Rivers is 27 years old, entering his fourth season as a full-time starter and is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. At his age, and with the talent that surrounds him on San Diego's roster, he could be poised for superstardom. The Chargers should score a ton of points with Rivers at the helm, and if their pass defense can keep points off the board, they are a legitimate favorite, along with New England and Pittsburgh, to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Can the talent on Oakland's offense bring enough peace to give the Raiders a chance?

Oakland is actually very talented on the offensive side of the ball. We're assuming the perpetually underrated Jeff Garcia beats out JaMarcus Russell for the starting QB job, but if he doesn't it'll be because Russell's immense talent has overcome his immaturity. Regardless, the Raiders should be okay at quarterback, and with Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, Lorenzo Neal and speedy first-round wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey around him, whoever the QB is should have lots of options. The Raiders are also talented enough in their pass defense to win games...as long as they can get somebody up front to stop the run. Assuming Tom Cable brings some stability to the head coaching position, the Raiders might have a chance to focus on football. And if they do that, they might find that they're improving.

Is Matt Cassel really any good, or was that just a New England thing?

Scott Pioli and the Chiefs obviously are betting the former, because they traded for Cassel and locked him up with a contract extension. Cassel is supposed to be THE GUY in Kansas City, and if he's not...well, he'll pretty much just be the latest in a long line of disappointments. The difference is that his success could make or break that of the new regime in charge of the Chiefs. Odds are that Cassel won't look as good his first year in K.C. as he did last year in New England, because he has precious few weapons around him on offense and his line isn't the best pass-protecting unit in the league. But the defense should be better in Kansas City, and if the Chiefs can show any overall improvement, there's a chance they can afford to be patient with Cassel until they put some better pieces in place around him.

Quick -- What's you least favorite thing about the Broncos?

Oh, you can't pick just one, can you? Is it the ham-handed way first-year coach Josh McDaniels ran quarterback Jay Cutler out of town? Is it that he replaced him with Kyle Orton? Is it a defense that allowed more points than anybody but the Rams and Lions last year and then didn't get any better, mainly because that aforementioned coach picked a running back in the first round? I'd go with one of those, though what they all have in common is the coach, who hasn't shown a single thing yet except an ability to cause franchise-damaging off-season havoc. This guy had better be the real deal, because if he's not, the way he's acted before his first training camp is going to make it hard to take bright guys in their early 30s seriously when they want to sit in the big chair. That's right, Eric Mangini. I'm looking at you, too.

RIDICULOUSLY EARLY PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Chargers (11-5): Rookie LB Larry English and a healthy Shawne Merriman shore up the defense, and San Diego rolls to an easy division crown.

2. Raiders (7-9): Better than you think they are, but only because there's never any reason to think they'll be good.

3. Chiefs (7-9): They're on the upswing, because they sort of have to be, and the switch to the 3-4 will help. But they don't have the offensive personnel to contend yet.

4. Broncos (4-12): The bright side is, McDaniels has a whole lost year to get this thing right for 2010.

Check out the entire Summer Scramble series:

July 7: NFC East Position Battles to Watch
July 8: NFC East Burning Questions and Prediction
July 9: AFC East Position Battles to Watch
July 10: AFC East Burning Questions and Prediction
July 14: NFC North Position Battles to Watch
July 15: NFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
July 16: AFC North Position Battles to Watch
July 17: AFC North Burning Questions and Prediction
July 21: NFC South Position Battles to Watch
July 22: NFC South Burning Questions and Prediction
July 23: AFC South Position Battles to Watch
July 24: AFC South Burning Questions and Prediction
July 29: NFC West Position Battles to Watch
July 29: NFC West Burning Questions and Prediction
July 30: AFC West Position Battles to Watch