Kartje: If Week 1 is any indication, it's going to be wild in the AFC West

At the conclusion of an NFL debut week defined by stifling defense and overmatched offenses, Philip Rivers cocked his right arm and fired a deep pass into the Denver night sky. Seven minutes remained in the AFC West’s Monday night tete-a-tete, and the Chargers, fresh off forcing their second turnover of the fourth quarter, still trailed by two scores as Rivers’ throw soared toward a streaking Travis Benjamin.

Four nights earlier, the NFL season opened with a bang, as the Chiefs unexpectedly dominated the defending champions on their home field. But in between, the Week 1 slate was as ugly as it’s been in recent memory. Just four of 15 games were decided by single digits. Most offenses were in shambles. Nearly half the league (14 teams) managed fewer than 300 total yards -- something that never happened during the 2016 season. It was the kind of week that put the NFL’s ratings crisis into crystal-clear context.

But in Denver, as Benjamin pulled in Rivers’ 38-yard missile, cutting what was once a three-score deficit to just three points, the AFC West proved definitively what we should already have known: That no other division in the NFL will be better — or more compelling — this season.

Across the league, alleged contenders sputtered out of the gate. The Patriots, one year removed from allowing the league’s fewest points, were torched by Alex Smith and a rookie running back. The Seahawks proved against an iffy Packers defense that their offensive line is somehow worse than a year ago. The Falcons’ historic 2016 offense looked like a shell of its former self in 2017, and so did the high-powered Steelers, who managed a measly 290 yards against the hapless Browns. That’s 56 fewer total yards than Sam Bradford contributed on his own in Week 1.

But as the rest of the league tripped over its feet at the season’s starting line, the AFC West took the opportunity to separate itself from the pack. The Chiefs’ rampage in New England put the entire NFL on notice, and days later, the Raiders set off their own warning shot, riding Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch and a resurgent defense to a resounding victory over the AFC South favorite Titans.

And here were the Chargers, winners of only five games a year ago, firing back into a game in which they’d been outplayed, driving into Bronco territory with only seconds remaining, lining up for a tying kick with a rookie who had yet to attempt an NFL field goal. This was the drama we’d toiled through a long football-less summer, longing to see — unless, of course, you’re a Chargers fan.

Younghoe Koo’s first kick sailed clean through the uprights, only to be negated by a whistle blown just before the snap. Icing the kicker is often an exercise in futility, but in this case, Denver coach Vance Walker’s last-second maneuver proved unexpectedly brilliant. Koo’s next attempt came in low. It felt good off his foot, he’d say later, but there, expecting the kick to come in low, were the outstretched arms of Broncos special teamer Shelby Harris. The game was over. A crucial divisional battle had been decided by a fortunate timeout.

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It was the kind of narrow victory that’s likely to define the NFL’s best division this season. No other division is as strong top to bottom. With two legitimate Super Bowl contenders and two other teams likely hunting for a playoff spot, the margin for error in the AFC West will be razor thin. A few lucky breaks could change the course of the division.

The Chargers aren’t exactly used to getting lucky breaks. No team was worse in one-score games a year ago, and the first three quarters of Monday’s loss didn’t inspire much confidence that things have changed under new coach Anthony Lynn. At one point, the Chargers went scoreless for 37 minutes.

But in the fourth quarter, with their backs against the wall, the Chargers showed flashes of what they could be. And with a litany of possible playoff teams — the Dolphins, Eagles, Chiefs, Giants and Raiders -- on tap in the next five weeks, they’ll have plenty of chances to build off those brief glimpses of promise — or squander them.

That’s life in the high-wire act of the AFC West. And if Week 1 was any indication, that divisional circus is going to be one heck of a show this season.