AFC West teams’ struggles open up playoff field

The AFC West was clearly the best division in the NFL after Week 2 with three teams going 2-0.

Marshawn Lynch was dancing on the sidelines after the Raiders dismantled the Jets. The Broncos defense was back to top form after shutting down the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott, who was held to 8 rushing yards.

The Chiefs followed their stunning victory over the Patriots by defeating the Eagles, arguably the best team in the NFC today. The Chargers weren’t so lucky, with two straight losses that came down to the final play.

The AFC West seemed destined to send three teams to the postseason, leaving the rest of the clubs in the conference to win their division if they wanted to play past the regular season.

But entering Week 8, the AFC West isn’t looking so mighty. The Chiefs (5-2) are the only team over .500, but they have lost two straight. The Raiders (3-4) just snapped a four-game losing streak, and the Broncos (3-3) have had back-to-back embarrassing losses to the Giants and Chargers.

The Chargers (3-4), who have won three straight, now might be the best team in division after starting 0-4.

With the AFC West taking a step back, teams such as the Bills, Jaguars and Texans can sneak into the postseason as a wild-card team.

The Raiders face the Bills on Sunday in a matchup that could have AFC wild-card implications. The Chargers look to get back to .500 with a game at New England.

Denver and Kansas City meet in a divisional showdown on “Monday Night Football.”

Saints’ revamped defense

New Orleans started the season with an angry Adrian Peterson and appeared headed to another miserable season on defense.

But the Saints (4-2) are on a four-game winning streak and have had standout defensive performances in three of the wins. So what changed? It can’t be simply because Peterson got traded to Arizona, though that opened the door for Mark Ingram, who has had monster performances the past two weeks.

A top rushing attack has helped the Saints defense and Drew Brees, but rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore deserves the bulk of the credit.

Lattimore, a leading candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, is shutting down opposing team’s top wideouts. That’s allowing the defense to help on the other side of the field.

Lattimore and the Bills’ Tre’Davious White are having two of the better seasons for rookie cornerbacks in recent memory. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they spent their first-round pick on the cornerback dealing with yearlong shin splints, Gareon Conley.

Game of the Week: Texans (3-3) at Seahawks (4-2)

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has torched opposing defenses in the past month, but now he goes up against Seattle’s stout defense.

The Legion of Boom will be fired up to stop the rookie sensation. Seattle is ranked fourth in total defense and allowing a league-best 15.7 points per game. Watson and the Texans offense are scoring 29.5 points per game.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.