Why an AFC West Title Is Not Guaranteed for the Chargers

Based on all I've been reading, it's seen as conventional wisdom that San Diego Chargers will win their fourth straight AFC West title this season. After all, the competition is pretty weak. No one wants to go out on a limb the Chiefs or Raiders, and everyone expects the Broncos to collapse in the Josh McDaniels-Kyle Orton era. Admittedly, the competition doesn't look very strong, but really, are the Chargers such a sure thing? For one thing, we're talking about a team that started 4-8 (ok, it should've been 5-7, but still), and only made into the playoffs do to the compelte meltdown of the Denver Broncos. This mediocrity occured despite a stellar season by Philip Rivers. Are we counting on him putting up similar numbers in '09? He has a good shot, but I wouldn't call it a guarantee. First off, are the Broncos guaranteed to suck? I don't think so. Kyle Orton played fairly well with the Bears last year, and he'll have a lot more talent in Denver. B...