Raiders News: Week 6 AFC West roundup, Las Vegas’ divisional title hopes slipping away

Just a few weeks ago, the Las Vegas Raiders battled the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West. However, with the Raiders falling to 3-3 after the Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas’ divisional title hopes are slipping away. With that in mind, let’s see how the weekend went for the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Chiefs.

Broncos vs. Seahawks

Score: 17-14 (OT) Broncos win

Key Stats:

• QB Bo Nix: 17/27 (63.0%), 107 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
• RB RJ Harvey: 6 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD, 3 catches, 31 receiving yards
• WR Jaylen Waddle: 4 catches, 24 yards
• CB Ja’Quan McMillian: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 PDs, 1 INT
• DT Zach Allen: 5 tackles, 0.5 sack, 2 PDs

Nix is the big storyline from this game, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s strong comments, saying the Broncos’ signal caller is being “disrespectful to the quarterback position.” That’s primarily due to Nix refusing to push the ball down the field, as completing 17 passes and barely cracking triple-digit yards is an eye-popping stat line, and not in a good way. Even with Sean Payton calling the plays for the second week in a row, the Broncos’ offense hasn’t shown much. Denver put up 14 points in the second quarter and didn’t score again until a Sam Darnold interception in overtime set up the Broncos with a short field for the game-winning field goal.

Next week: @ Cardinals

Chargers vs. Chiefs

Score: 22-6 Chiefs win

KC Key Stats:

• QB Patrick Mahomes: 23/30 (76.7%), 272 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 5 rushes, 16 rushing yards
• RB Kenneth Walker III: 19 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs, 2 catches, 11 receiving yars
• WR Xavier Worthy: 7 catches, 73 yards
• EDGE George Karlaftis: 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs, 2 PDs, 3 QB hits
• LB Nick Bolton: 11 tackles

LAC Key Stats:

• QB Justin Herbert: 22/37 (59.5%), 204 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 5 rushes, 26 rushing yards
• RB Kimani Vidal: 7 rushes, 21 yards
• WR Quentin Johnston: 1 catch, 57 yards
• CB Cam Hart: 4 tackles, 1 INT
• CB Tarheeb Still: 8 tackles, 1 TFL

This game went how everyone expected. The Chiefs had two weeks to prepare for one of the worst teams in the NFL, and the results showed on the field. The Chargers’ offense continues to be abysmal, as the team amassed just 259 yards and Herbert was the leading rusher. Meanwhile, Kansas City scored on its opening possession and never looked back, as Walker continues to run through the entire league. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has rushed for triple digits in four out of five games, and the defense has kept opponents to 10 or fewer points three times.

KC Next Week: @ Seahawks (SNF)

LAC Next Week: Bye

Standings

1. Kansas City 5-0 (+57 point differential)
2. Denver 4-2 (-11)
3. Las Vegas 3-3 (0)
4. Los Angeles 0-6 (-61)

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• What we learned against Bills: “The Raiders’ ground game had some success in the second half, but it also struggled at times,” S&BP’s Bill Williamson wrote. “Starter Ashton Jeanty had just 22 yards on 10 carries. Rookie Mike Washington got involved after not being a big part of the plan last week, and he responded with two 10-plus-yard runs. He finished with 43 yards on nine carries. Yet, the Raiders are still looking for consistency in this area.”
• Raiders road dogs in Week 7: According to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook, Las Vegas is opening as a 5.5-point underdog against the Los Angeles Rams next week.
• Tyler Linderbaum recaps performance: “I didn’t feel good about it,” the center said, via Raider Nation Radio’s X/Twitter account. “I let 96 (Deone Walker) dictate the game on me…I just gotta play better for the team.”
• No moral victories: “Very disappointed that we didn’t get it done today,” Klint Kubiak said, via Levi Edwards of the team’s website. “Credit to Buffalo, they played a great game. As a team, we did not close the game and there’s plenty of improvement. We’re not satisfied with any moral victories.”