Fansided

AFC West stock watch: Chiefs falling, Raiders rolling

By Bill Williamson

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders breaks free to score on an 18-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won 26-24. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders breaks free to score on an 18-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Raiders won 26-24. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The twists and turns of the 2019 AFC West season continued in Week 10, after a strange week of complete success in the division.

Only the Oakland Raiders were victorious in the division in Week 10. The Raiders, who are now very much in the conversation in the division and in the AFC playoff picture, kicked off the week with a last-minute, 26-24 win over the Chargers. With the 3-6 Denver Broncos on their bye, the Kansas City Chiefs ended the week blowing yet another game in a 35-3, loss at the Tennessee Titans to fall to 6-4.

Now, the Chiefs hold just a half-game lead over the Raiders. The Chiefs, who won in Oakland in Week 2, host the Raiders on Dec. 1 in a huge game.

Still, there is business to take care of. Let’s look at the risers and fallers in the division heading into Week 11:

Risers

Raiders in the division: The Chiefs may have a problem. The Raiders are right on their heels. Are the Chiefs better than the Raiders? Yes, but it may not matter right now. The Raiders have big momentum. But the biggest thing in Oakland’s favor is a silly-easy schedule. The Chiefs are the only team of Oakland’s remaining seven opponents that have a winning record. Oakland’s next two games are against the winless Cincinnati Bengals and the two-win New York Jets.

Barring something unforeseen, the Raiders are going to enter their showdown in Kansas City at 7-4. That’s another reason why Kansas City’s game against the Chargers in Mexico City on Monday night is so vital.

Clelin Ferrell: The Raiders’ rookie class has been good. But Ferrell was a disappointment through the first nine games. He was barely noticeable. The No. 4 overall pick showed no pass-rush burst. However, he was a man possessed against the Chargers. Ferrell had 2.5 sacks and had a tremendous game. If he can keep it up, it will be a huge boost for Oakland down the stretch.

Derek Carr in the fourth quarter: Carr has been pretty good this season. He wasn’t great for much of the game against the Chargers, but he turned it on in the fourth quarter. He led a fourth-quarter comeback for the second straight week and it was the 18th of his six-season career. Carr may have some flaws, but his ability to win when it counts is real.

Fallers

Kansas City run defense: The Chiefs allowed Titans’ running back Derrick Henry to run for 188 yards Sunday. This continued a season-long trend. The Chiefs are allowing 146.3 yards a game on the ground. It is the second worst average in the NFL. It is a glaring reason why defense is holding the Chiefs back once again. It’s difficult to get Patrick Mahomes on the field when the opponent is controlling the clock on the ground.

Philip Rivers: Rivers was awful against the Raiders. He threw three interceptions and had two called back on penalty. He was 0-for-7 on the final drive of the game when the Chargers could have won with a field goal. Rivers, who turns 38 next month, is having a solid season, but he was not good in Week 10.

Chiefs’ ball security: The Chiefs have fumbled the ball 16 times this season and the issue continued to haunted them against the Titans. With a bad defense and a lack of ball security on offense, the Chiefs are sabotaging their own success.