The Las Vegas Raiders
The lure of Josh McDaniels has never made any sense to me. A coach who dismantled a playoff roster in Denver in 2010-11 and traded away Pro Bowler Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton. History seems to repeat itself in Las Vegas. Pro Bowlers Derek Carr and Darren Waller are in new places, while All-Pro halfback Josh Jacobs is currently in holdout. Filling the hole left by the departure of Derek Carr is Jimmy Garrapolo, who isn’t an upgrade but isn’t a liability. Jimmy G has playoff and Super Bowl experience but those games were with a stacked San Francisco team. Vegas has a solid offensive, especially if Jacobs returns. But the defensive side of the ball is porous at best. Maxx Crosby is phenomenal, and rookie Tyree Wilson will try to make his presence known early. But when your best player in the secondary is a washed up Marcus Peters, there may be problems in Las Vegas.
The Denver Broncos
I believe that Nathaniel Hackett was only brought in for Denver to lure Aaron Rodgers to the Mile High City, and Russell Wilson was the consolation prize. No disrespect to Russ, who is one of the best QBs of the 2010s. But Denver definitely preferred Rodgers. With that being said, 2022 was a disaster for Denver. Russ was
supposed to be the missing piece in a solid young offensive core consisting of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Javonte Williams. Instead, he became one of the team’s biggest liabilities. However, Russ was not all to blame for the Broncos struggles. Hackett proved to be an incompetent head coach and play-caller, while injuries plagued the offense. But in the end all of the blame fell on Wilson. Another insult to injury was the success of Seattle, Wilson’s former team. The draft picks that Seattle acquired from Denver were turned into Charles Cross and Devin Witherspoon, young talents who have much to offer in the NFL. The future was grim for Denver, but then a potential savior arrived. Enter Sean Payton, fresh out of the booth for Fox Sports. Payton is focused on rebuilding the defense and revitalizing Russell Wilson’s career. Is Payton the reality check the Broncos need?
The Los Angeles Chargers
It seems the less hype around LA, the better they perform. But when the pressure is on, they seem to shrink in the spotlight. There was no greater example of this than the Wild Card matchup against the Jaguars. LA had a 27 point lead at one point in the game, and then the floodgates opened. Trevor Lawerence had one of the greatest second-half performances in NFL playoff history, leading the Jags to a 31-30 win. This was impressive enough on Jacksonville’s end, but even more impressive was LA’s collapse. Justin Herbert and Co. scored a mere 3 points in one half, while the Chargers defense allowed 31 points. But that was last season, and 2023 is looking up for LA. The Bolts resigned both Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler and drafted explosive wide receiver Quentin Johnston. But the offense hasn’t been a major issue for the Chargers, the defense has been. LA is not without talent on the defense, Joey Bosa, Derwin James Jr., Khalil Mack, and JC Jackson are all great defenders. However, all four have struggled with injuries throughout their careers, and the best ability is availability. If the Chargers are to make a run in 2023, there must be consistency on both ends.
The Kansas City Chiefs
Not much has changed for the defending champs in 2023. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the best at their respective positions, but there is much young talent developing on KC’s roster as well. Isaiah Pacheco was one of the steals of the draft, while fellow rookies Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis showed major potential. Nick Bolton was a surprise breakout in the linebacker position. Second year receivers Skyy Moore and Justyn Ross will look to fill the void left by the departed JuJu Smith-Schuster. Moore is someone I can see having a much bigger role in slot/wideback role in the Andy Reid offense. There may be a repeat on the horizon for KC.
