5 reasons why Jon Gruden, Raiders will win AFC West
By Brad Weiss
1. Derek Carr is the division’s best quarterback
The list of starting quarterbacks in the AFC West reads like this: Derek Carr for the Raiders, Case Keenum for the Denver Broncos, Philip Rivers for the Los Angeles Chargers, and Patrick Mahomes II for the Kansas City Chiefs. While Rivers has had a great NFL career, Carr is the best quarterback the division has to offer.
Last season, that honor belonged to Alex Smith, who led the Chiefs to their second straight AFC West title. Smith is now a member of the Washington Redskins, and while Mahomes is a good talent, he just does not have the experience heading into 2018.
Rivers still is a very productive player, and he has some great weapons in Los Angeles. However, he has never really been able to win the big games, and that will be a black mark on his career when all is said and done.
In 2017, Keenum led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC title game, but he has issues on the offensive line, and a lack of weapons in Denver,
Carr is only 27 years old, and he will have his best head coach of his career. He was solid as a rookie under Olson, and when healthy, is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Injuries have robbed him in recent years, but he is 100 percent now, and is definitely hungry to return to his 2016 form.
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The NFL is built around good quarterbacks, and Carr was in the MVP conversation back in 2016. He will rebound with Gruden as his head coach, and when all is said and done, his right arm will lead this team to their first AFC West title since 2002.