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Breaking down the 2008 season — AFC West home game opponents

Carolina did not fare well against the AFC in 2007, going 0-4 out of the NFC. The NFC South matched up against a tough AFC South that included three playoff teams, snagging both wild card spots — and Houston was in contention for a spot, too, until the last couple games of the season. To stress how tough this division was, no team in the AFC South had a losing record.

The AFC West looked just the opposite in 2007. No one took a clear, winning lead in the division until week 12, when San Diego (6-5) won and pulled away from Denver (5-6), which had lost.

The Panthers last played AFC West teams in the 7-9, injury-plagued 2004 season. They went only 1-3 (winning 28-17 @ Kansas City; losing 24-27 against Oakland; losing 17-20 at Denver; and losing 6-17 against San Diego), but all four teams look dramatically different at this point, while the Panthers have not changed too much.

The dates have yet to be determined, and there are still free agency and draft acquisitions to be made, but we can still get a good idea for how these games will play out.

DENVER BRONCOS (7-9 in 2007)

This team fell apart, largely due to its defense. Elite corner backs Champ Bailey and Dre Bly of course did a great job, but they had no support. Safety John Lynch is aging, and there isn’t any depth in the secondary. The linebacking corps was shaken up with the offseason loss of middle linebacker Al Wilson, who really had led the defense. The rush defense was 31st in the league, allowing 145.9 yards per game. Good news for DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams. Still, one thing is for sure — the defense will be much better and the youth more developed in 2008 (after all, it really can’t get much worse).

The really dynamic, potentially dangerous aspect of this team is the offense. Quarterback Jay Cutler is developing along with his receivers, led by Brandon Marshall and his breakout season. Marshall was fifth in the NFL in receptions (102) and sixth in receiving yards (1,347). Brandon Stokely has also helped provide a viable passing option. Javon Walker is still on the roster for the time being, but his return does not look promising.

Cutler threw for 3,497 yards (63.6 percent completion), 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The real question, however, is in the running game that will take pressure off the passing game. It appears runningback Travis Henry is in the clear. Rookie Selvin Young also looked good, too, in 2007. The key will be finding consistency and revitalizing the offensive line, which has been aging for a while now.

Mike Shannahan is a good coach who will make the necessary adjustments next season.  The key to this game will establishing the run in order to help against the passing game, as well as to establish a strong pass defense.  Taking Cutler’s arm out of the game will benefit the Panthers immensely.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (4-12 in 2007)

Letting quarterback Trent Green go was obviously not such a good idea. Damon Huard had looked good, but with all the other problems, Green would have been a better steadying force. Second-year quarterback Brodie Croyle was OK in his playing, but his youth definitely came out. It is difficult to draw any conclusions from 1,227 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games, six of which were starts. It looks like it will be a battle between Huard and Croyle once again in 2008 unless someone like Chad Pennington comes in or unless the Chiefs are willing to bank on Croyle and give him the reins, conceding that 2008 will once again be a rebuilding season.

Rookie wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was a nice surprise on offense, having 70 receptions for 995 yards. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez had another outstanding year with 99 receptions for 1,172 yards. And while running back Larry Johnson regressed somewhat, especially with injuries and offensive line issues, the running game will still be a force with which to be dealt.

The Kansas City defense continues to develop, particularly behind Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen. In only 14 games (having served two for a suspension stemming from a DUI), he notched 15.5 sacks. He even stepped in at tight end for goal line situations, grabbing two receptions for two touchdowns. Tamba Hali was almost as dangerous and pressuring on the other end, grabbing 7.5 sacks in only his second season (he’d also had eight as a rookie in 2006).

The three starting linebackers — Derrick Johnson, Napoleon Harris and Donnie Edwards — all provided big play, each notching at least 100 tackles in addition to sacks, interceptions and forced fumbles. At cornerback, Ty Law and Patrick Surtain are aging (13 and 10 years of experience, respectively) but still are forces to be reckoned with.

Herm Edwards will have this team back to at least .500 next season, so it’s especially good that Carolina does not have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium to play a blisteringly cold and blustery game.  As long as Carolina’s defense plays like it did toward end of the season — and especially with a little progress — they ought to be able to suppress the offense.  The key for this game will undoubtedly be to stop Allen and Hali from getting to whomever is at quarterback.  That will definitely require some work on the left side of the offensive line.

Check back for:

@ OAKLAND RAIDERS (4-12 in 2007)

@ SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (11-5 in 2007)

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.