The Kansas City Chiefs showed signs that the franchise is headed in the right direction with an improbable division title and playoff appearance in 2010, while the Oakland Raiders finished with a respectable record. Neither team will do the same again in 2011. When the lockout ends and the players take the field for the coming sports betting season, there will be one team that stands alone as a legitimate contender from the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers.

The Chargers have a ton of talent, including Pro Bowl quarterback Phillip Rivers, who has emerged as one of the best in the game regardless of position. With a stacked receiving core and a workhorse running back in Ryan Matthews, San Diego’s future is bright on offense, especially if they can find a way to re-sign Vincent Jackson. The defense is where there are issues and that is something that the organization thinks will work itself out. Aside from the Chargers, the Chiefs have simply too many holes and won’t be able to benefit from as weak of a schedule, while the Raiders are always considered on the verge of something special but simply never pan out. San Diego should be able to clinch two sports betting bonus wins against the rebuilding Denver Broncos, and if they can at least split with the rest of the division they should be good to return to the top of the AFC West in 2011.