A look around the AFC West as Friday wraps up. . .
- Despite entering last Sunday 6-0, there was skepticism regarding whether the Broncos were true Super Bowl contenders. But their defense erased it in suffocating a lethal Packers offense, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post. In their 29-10 rout, the Broncos made the NFC’s best quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, look far below average in holding him to a shockingly low 77 yards on 22 attempts. Thanks in part to its destruction of the Rodgers-led Packers, Denver’s defense is atop the league in sacks, points per game, yards per game and yards per play, and Chuck Pagano – the head coach of the Broncos’ next opponent, the Colts – is well aware of the unit’s dominance. “When you put the tape on, they are very reminiscent of the 2000 (Baltimore) Ravens,” Pagano said. “They have talent on all levels.”
- Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, one of the driving forces behind their their success, doesn’t see much parity in the NFL. “There are probably five teams that can win a Super Bowl each year. And everybody else is just there, really,” he told Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. In assessing the league’s four currently undefeated teams – including his own – Harris said, “If you’re 7-0, you’re mainly good because you’re great. But you’re also good because you’ve got some games where it’s just a huge mismatch, and that isn’t the goal.”
- Chargers general manager Tom Telesco bought low last offseason when he signed cornerback Patrick Robinson to a one-year, $1.25MM contract, a move that now looks like one of the best value pickups of the 2015 free agent class. The sixth-year man has held opposing quarterbacks to a horrid 45.9 passer rating the 23 times they’ve thrown his way, per Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. That rating is easily the best among Chargers corners. Brandon Flowers, their most established CB, has been torched to the tune of a 136.5 rating on 45 attempts this season.