All but one AFC West team won their Week 12 matchup, and it wasn’t the Oakland Raiders for once. The Broncos now lead the division by a full game over the Chiefs after their loss to the Raiders, and the Chargers stay alive in the playoff picture after winning two in a row.
Here’s a look at how these teams matchup this week.
Oakland Raiders at St. Louis Rams, Sunday 1:05p.m. EST
The silver and black are winless no more. They ended their 16-game drought by defeating division rival Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 last Thursday night behind a solid defensive showing and timely offensive execution. Oakland’s defense was able to put pressure on Alex Smith and stop the run threat in Jamaal Charles. Despite a near game changing sack celebration, the Raiders front seven were able to put a stop on the Chiefs after what turned out to be a game winning touchdown drive by Derek Carr and company. The young rookie not only secured his first career NFL victory with a nine-yard touchdown pass to James Jones, but he also set a Raiders franchise record. Carr became the first quarterback in Raiders history to complete either a game-winning drive or a fourth quarter comeback; the 23-year old continues to impress in his rookie campaign. The Raiders finally got over the hump and collected their first win of 2014; they came close quite a few times this season, and Thursday night they were finally able to finish a game as winners.
Latavius Murray provided plenty of spark on offense, highlighted by his 90-yard touchdown run, but did suffer a concussion and had to leave the game. He has since returned to practice, but his status for Sunday is unknown as he still has certain tests to clear.
The Rams lost a close one to the San Diego Chargers 27-24 and fell to 4-7 on the year. This was a heartbreaker as Shaun Hill threw a pick to Marcus Gilchrist
at the goal line with only 56 seconds to play. Gilchrist secured the win for the Chargers, while the Rams went home with the L after nearly winning back-to-back games for the first time this season.
This Rams team is vastly better than their record suggests. They have been in the thick of games with some of the better teams in the league, and have been victorious against both the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. This time around, they will host the Raiders who are coming off a big win, but are still 1-10 and struggling.
The Raiders have struggled on the road, but travel to St. Louis with some momentum on their side. The Rams are coming off a tough loss, but have proven to be a talented team.
Final Prediction: Raiders 17 Rams 20
San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, Sunday 1:05p.m. EST
The Bolts won their Week 12 matchup against the Rams 27-24 to improve to 7-4 on the year, and are now only a game out of first in the West. They had a few key defensive stops last week to help secure their win. Offensively, the Chargers were able to establish a strong run game against the Rams as Ryan Mathews rushed for 105 yards with a touchdown.
San Diego has now won two in a row after a short skid and are back in the playoff picture, but they need to play better. While the Rams are a good team, the Chargers barely escaped this one with a victory and have been playing so-so football as of late.
This team has suffered on the injury front, and they placed Rich Ohrnberger on season-ending injured reserve; Ohrnberger becomes the third center placed on IR by the Chargers this year.
The Ravens are 7-4 and a half game out of the AFC North. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 34-27 Monday night behind Justin Forsett’s 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Ravens have won two in a row and will look to take this one to improve their standing in the North.
This should be an interesting matchup and a good test for the Chargers. The Ravens have a top-10 offense as they are ranked eighth in the league with 4,097 yards and 295 points on the year. San Diego’s defense is ranked sixth in the league when it comes to the passing game, and have come up clutch with turnovers when needed throughout the year.
Final Prediction: Chargers 21 Ravens 27
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday 8:30p.m. EST
For the Chiefs, their Week 12 matchup was a disappointing loss. They were riding a five-game winning streak, defeating some of the better teams in the league, then fell victim as the Raiders first win in over a year. When it came to time of possession, it was pretty even, but after the Chiefs took a 20-17 lead in the fourth, the Chiefs defense was unable to stop the Raiders long touchdown drive.
KC fell to 7-4 and a game out of the AFC West. This week’s matchup has several playoff implications. The Chiefs are looking to win the division, but so are the Denver Broncos who lead them by a game.
Some sad news on the Chiefs end as well this week, as Eric Berry is out for the season with a mass on his chest feared to be lymphoma. The safety will undergo testing.
The Chiefs continue to have the best pass defense in the league, and have also been efficient on offense despite zero touchdown passes to wide receivers.
This is an important game against the first place Broncos who are 8-3 and coming off a close 39-36 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes as the legend continues to add on to his record, and three of which were to Demaryius Thomas; one of Manning’s favorite targets. C.J. Anderson also rushed for 167 yards and had one touchdown against Miami’s tough defense. This was a close game, and one the Dolphins led for some time.
Both these teams have shown great strengths this season, and this is a huge game for both sides. This is the final time these two teams will meet in the regular season, and the Broncos took the first matchup back in Week 2, 24-17. It was a close, hard fought battle, and this week will be no different.
The second best passing offense in the Broncos will face the best pass defense in the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. Emotions will be high for the Chiefs and they will look to tie things up in the AFC West with a victory, while the Broncos will look to take a two-game lead in the standings.
Final Prediction: Broncos 23 Chiefs 20