One player to watch for each AFC West team in Week 4:
Denver Broncos, Eric Decker, receiver: Decker is averaging 14.2 yards on 17 catches this season. He had his best game with Peyton Manning as his quarterback in Week 3 against Houston as he had eight catches for 136 yards. The pair seems to be building a good chemistry. It will be interesting to see if Decker can keep it up against a depleted Oakland cornerback group.
Kansas City Chiefs, Justin Houston, linebacker: Can Houston make the same impact against San Diego as he did against New Orleans? If so, the Chiefs will be in business. The talented second-year player had three sacks against the Saints, including one for a safety as the Chiefs stormed back in a game they won in overtime. I can see Houston changing many games in his future.
Oakland Raiders, Darren McFadden, running back: After not making an impact in the rushing game in the first two weeks, the explosive McFadden had 113 yards on 18 carries in the Raiders’ win over Pittsburgh. McFadden got 64 of the yards on a touchdown run. The production showed McFadden can succeed in the zone-blocking scheme. Let’s see if he can build upon it at Denver on Sunday.
San Diego Chargers, Ryan Mathews, running back: The pressure is on Mathews in his second game of the season. After he fumbled near the goal line last week, San Diego coach Norv Turner said Mathews may not carry the ball in certain situations. This is a player the Chargers want to see grow. This is not a good step for his development. Let’s see how Mathews reacts at Kansas City.