Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
Here is one area each AFC West team needs to improve upon from last week's play:
Denver Broncos
Stop the big run: The Broncos played very well in an upset win over the Jets. But New York did have success with the long run play. Thomas Jones had touchdown runs of 59 and 29 yards. He finished with 138 yards. Denver's opponent this week, Kansas City, has two running backs, Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles, who are capable of breaking off long runs. Denver will let the Chiefs stick around if Johnson and Charles can do what Jones did and break off long runs. Denver, which seemed to take some bad angles on Jones, need to tighten in its run support.
Kansas City Chiefs
Throw more: The Chiefs were very efficient against Oakland in its win last week. But if the Chiefs are going to outscore the Broncos, quarterback Tyler Thigpen is going to have to throw the ball more. He threw just 22 times last week. Thigpen can rack up yardage. Denver's pass defense can be beaten. Thigpen has to unleash and give it a shot.
Oakland Raiders
No more trick plays: The Raiders have used some trickery under interim coach Tom Cable. But the latest goof play killed the team against Kansas City on Sunday. Cable had a fake field goal designed to give slow-footed kicker Sebastian Janikowski the ball. It failed and it turned into the game-winning touchdown for the Chiefs. Cable defended the play on Monday. That's fine. Stick to your guns, coach, but give your team a chance in the future and throw the trick plays away.
San Diego Chargers
Coaching: The Chargers are 4-8 and are teetering on being eliminated from contention in the AFC West. Coach Norv Turner is an easy mark and many Chargers fans are pointing toward him as the culprit. It would be naïve to blame all of San Diego's woes on Turner. But the truth is, he has made some mistakes and he needs to pick it up. The offense was flat Sunday and the Chargers had no way to get it going. Turner has to influence his team against Oakland in a positive way.
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
