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AFC West stock watch: Patrick Mahomes up, Melvin Gordon down

By Bill Williamson

JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 08: Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass to Kansas City Chiefs Running Back LeSean McCoy (25) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8, 2019 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 08: Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass to Kansas City Chiefs Running Back LeSean McCoy (25) during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8, 2019 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Even with the Antonio Brown show headed east, the AFC West remains perhaps the most fascinating division in the NFL. Storylines abound in the division, which went 3-1 in Week 1.

We are starting a weekly feature on three risers and fallers in the division. Here we go:

Risers

Patrick Mahomes: Strange to see the reigning NFL MVP on this list right off the bat, huh? But Mahomes answered some questions in the first game of his second season as a starter. After his monster 2018 in which he threw 50 touchdowns and threw for 5,097 yards, many league observers thought Mahomes was in for a regression. His Week 1 results suggest otherwise, however.

Mahomes was his unreal self in a Kansas City win at Jacksonville on Sunday. He threw three touchdowns for 378 yards. He also had adversity as star receiver Tyreek Hill went down with an injury early and Mahomes dealt with an ankle injury himself. Still, he dominated. That’s what he does. This is going to be one of the best quarterbacks to come into the league in the past 25 years. Get used to it.

Oakland Raiders: That’s right, the whole team. The Raiders were a gold star squad in Week 1. The Raiders played a complete game in an easy Monday night win over AFC West foe Denver. Quarterback Derek Carr was terrific. He got great protection. Denver, which boasts Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, never touched Carr.

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs was clutch and looks like a Rookie of the Year candidate. Even the Oakland defense looked much better. It was faster and even showed a pass-rush. Coach Jon Gruden, who had a poor first year back on the sidelines, made many great moves Monday night. It was a huge response by a growing franchise getting over being jilted by Brown.

Chargers’ offense: The Chargers may be the NFL’s most overlooked contender. This team won as many games as the Chiefs last season. They are still good. Offensively, they showed it by beating Indianapolis, a strong team, 30-24, in overtime running back Austin Ekeler was a threat as a running back and as a receiver and scored three touchdowns in Melvin Gordon’s absence.

Quarterback Philip Rivers showed no signs of slowing down at the age of 37. He threw for 333 yard and three touchdowns. Receiver Keenan Allen had 123 yards receiving and tight end Hunter Henry added 60 yards receiving. – https://www.lineups.com/nfl/nfl-targets This unit is going to be a problem all season.

Fallers

Vic Fangio: Fangio has a reputation as one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL. It is a well-earned label. He has been a dominant defensive coordinator and he deserved getting the head-coaching job in Denver this year. But Fangio had a bad first night on the sideline. Gruden outcoached him.

Fangio’s defense couldn’t make any big plays. Miller and Chubb were supposed to flourish under Fangio. It didn’t happen Monday. This clunker doesn’t mean Fangio will be a failure, but he needs to make some adjustments.

Melvin Gordon: The Chargers acted like they didn’t give a rip about Gordon’s holdout from the beginning. They aren’t going to start caring now after Ekeler’s performance. Gordon is the holdout no one cares about. He’s not going to get his money from the Chargers. He is either going to have to give in and join the party and hope to strike it rich in free agency or perhaps he will be traded. After Week 1, Gordon essentially has no leverage.

Chiefs’ defense: This isn’t a major worry yet. Kansas City beat the Jaguars, 40-26. But the Chiefs allowed rookie Gardner Minshew to shred them apart. Minshew, an unheralded sixth-round draft pick, threw for 275 yards was completed 22 of 25 pass attempts. The Chiefs couldn’t get a pass-rush going. Big-ticket offseason pickup didn’t make an impact.

Former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was oft blasted, but his replacement, Steve Spagnuolo, hasn’t made a difference yet. Defense kept Kansas City out of the Super Bowl last year. The Chiefs won in Week 1 because of offense again. It’s too early to panic about this unit, but it wasn’t a great start.