NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings after Week 3

3) AFC West

“Good” losses are usually an oxymoron in the NFL, but somehow, the AFC West had two of them in Week 3. First, the Denver Broncos went into Seattle to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, and while they emerged with a defeat, Peyton Manning led a furious comeback to force overtime and generally provide an optimistic take on what transpired. In general, the Denver defense has been impressive this season, and they clamped down hard on the Seahawks after the opening minutes, while the offense is one of the more trustworthy single units in all of football as long as Manning remains under center. In short, the Broncos are good.

The Oakland Raiders also endured a “productive” loss on Sunday, dropping a 7-point decision to the Patriots on the road. No one has any illusion that Oakland is even a decent team this season, but they battled for 60 minutes behind rookie QB Derek Carr, and they had a chance to win (on the road!) in the waning minutes. Success.

The two teams who actually emerged with wins over the weekend were San Diego and Kansas City, and each was impressive. The Chargers have quietly amassed one of the better resumes in football after wins against Seattle (at home) and Buffalo (on the road), and San Diego’s offense is unquestionably legitimate. Kansas City has been woeful this season on the whole, but it is tough to ignore a 34-point explosion without Jamaal Charles, and Alex Smith has won football games at a tremendous rate. I’m trying here.