As sportswriters make their grades for the first half of the season, no one even remotely connected to the AFC West can be pleased with where they stand at this point in the season in terms of John Clayton's grades through week 9 in the NFL. The entire division, where the best teams stand at 4-4, earns a C level grade at best and it only goes downhill from there.
↵The Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers are all tied with the mediocre 'C' grade from Clayton who believes even the best team might end up at 8-8. The Denver Broncos earn a 'D' and they're only one grade behind. The distance between one and the other isn't so far after all.
↵The Broncos face the Chiefs on Sunday in a game that could separate the pack just a bit more. But a Broncos win only makes the division even tighter (and worse).