With Week 10 almost in the rearview, what did we learn from our friends in the AFC West? Ugliest game of the season candidate in Denver, a Sunday Night Football showcase for the Chargers, and the Chiefs took the week off. More detail, you say? FINE. Here are my AFC West takeaways for Week 10 – protein-enriched.
Denver Broncos
Oct 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Worst Bo Nix game this year, but Dobbins’ legs carries the day.
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I am not sugarcoating it because the tape does not lie: Bo went 16 of 28 for 150 with one score and two picks in his sloppiest outing of the season. Kyu Blu Kelly took the ball away twice, but Denver refused to let that spiral because and shifted the load to the backs and the clock. J.K. Dobbins gave them 18 hard carries for 77 as the Broncos leaned on possession to the tune of just over 30 minutes, which is how you steady a wobbly night. Ugly gets it done when your run game and defense carry the bags, and that is exactly how Orange banked a win.
Defense was elite-elite.
Six sacks and only 188 total yards allowed is how you choke out a rivalry game on a short week. The Broncos hit Geno early and often with five sacks in the first half and never let the Raiders breathe: Nik Bonitto wrecked snaps with a sack and a half and eight pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Denver got the pivotal blocked punt from JL Skinner to flip the field and walk out in front with the go-ahead kick. That is a complementary ball, and that is the team posture in November.
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Lack of execution and slow adjustments kept the door open.
You can’t celebrate 5 of 15 on third down and 1 for 3 in the red zone because that is how you keep a lesser opponent alive. Eleven penalties and two giveaways are self-inflicted wounds, and Denver has to own every one of them. They were late solving their pressure looks and did not punish after the takeaways, so the sequencing definitely needs to be better. The standard rises now with the Chiefs up next on November 16, then a bye to reset. If they clean the situational junk, the remaining slate bends to Denver and not the other way around.
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Las Vegas Raiders
Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) passes the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Geno was not sharp, and the help never showed up.
What I saw was a quarterback grinding for 16 completions and 143 yards while eating six sacks, then watching a string of empty possessions waste the night. The Raiders finished with 188 total yards, 3.2 a snap, and only four conversions on fifteen third downs, which is how drives die in Denver. A blocked punt set up the go-ahead field goal, and a late 48-yard miss erased the last lifeline. That is not a quarterback problem alone; that is an offense that failed protection, failed situational answers, and failed to punish a rookie on his worst outing.
The Geno and Tyler Lockett connection looks real.
Reunited and it feels so RIGHT! In just his second game in the silver and black, Lockett led the team in catches and targets, converting a third down on his very first grab. The ball came out on time to Lockett in the quick game, and that is the antidote when the pocket breaks down. The reunion makes sense given their Seattle history, and Thursday’s usage matched that logic. With Meyers shipped out of town, it sure looks like Tyler has claimed the move-the-chains role in this offense.
The defense kept them in the fight all night.
This was a unit that held Denver to ten points and 220 yards, stole two possessions, and forced the opponent to live in long fields, but the offense couldn’t make it happen. Maxx and friends got stops, the coverage squeezed, and the only explosive that truly hurt was a single shot that set up the Broncos’ lone touchdown. Denver’s offense went through long stretches of three-and-outs and still needed a special teams swing to take the lead. If the Raiders pair this defensive floor with baseline competence on offense, the next stretch against the Cowboys, Browns, and Chargers can become a live climb rather than a slow fade.
Los Angeles Chargers
Oct 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal (30) reacts in the second half against the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Vidal was on display again, and the offense rode him.
Kimani Vidal was the tone setter with 23 carries for 91 yards and a fourth-quarter hammer at the goal line. The Chargers ripped off a 90-yard touchdown march behind him and stole the game’s rhythm while everyone else chased big plays that never came. Justin Herbert ran point and lived clean, which is exactly what this game demanded. This is the blueprint against physical fronts – let the run game cook, lean into possession, and close in the fourth quarter.
They played Steelers ball – and beat Pittsburgh at it.
Los Angeles won time of possession by twelve minutes, out-rushed the Steelers 112 to 73, and posted a safety for good measure. The defense squeezed everything important, forcing three Pittsburgh turnovers and holding third downs to 2-11. It was trench football and situational mastery, not fireworks, that turned a 5-3 division leader into a spectator. That works – especially with a November slate that rewards teams who can grind, cover, and close.
Keenan Allen is an all-time Charger.
Allen passed Antonio Gates for the most receptions in franchise history at home on the national stage. Two grabs for 19 yards will not light up a fantasy lineup, but it was still damn fun to watch and wait for. They had to get creative on the final drive to get it in, but recognizing the spot was a good look for them. Add the win to the milestone, and let the post-game interviews fly.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes
Nov 2, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Bye-week priority was protection and rhythm.
The headline item was rookie left tackle Josh Simmons returning to the building after several weeks away for a family matter, which gives the staff a real chance to reset the five up front. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes both pointed to simple consistency as the fix, which starts with cleaner pockets and sharper timing through the middle of the field. At 5-4 the margin is thin, so getting their starting left tackle reacclimated during a quiet week is the kind of lift that shows up on third down. The bye did its job by turning a problem spot into an action plan before a divisional trip.
The defense remains the floor and the identity.
Midseason reviews around the team kept highlighting Trent McDuffie and a pass rush that still dictates downs, which is exactly how Kansas City has survived the choppy start. The front office kept tinkering at the margins during the last two weeks, reinforcing depth on the line and signaling that November will be about trench control. That formula travels, and it gives the offense room to solve itself without needing fireworks every quarter. The bye locked in the message that the defense is good enough to carry games while the offense finds cleaner answers.
The next three weeks will decide the seed.
Denver is up first on November 16th – they just won a knife fight, and are monitoring a J.K. Dobbins foot issue that could change how they attack on the ground. After that comes the Colts and Cowboys in a seven-day stretch that will stress protection red-zone execution. Kansas City sits at 5-4 with a tougher road than usual in the Mahomes era, which makes this post-bye surge necessary. Handle the division game, split or sweep the NFC and AFC contenders that follow, and the entire playoff picture flips back in their favor.
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