AFC West division preview 2024 predicted order of finish, record Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) The whole gang's back together as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid vie to become the first team to three-peat as Super Bowl champions. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7) New coach Jim Harbaugh might need to go conservative to keep Justin Herbert upright while counting on younger talent to emerge in key roles. Denver Broncos (6-11) While making deposits into Russell Wilson's bank account, the Broncos are loaded with untapped potential and rookie Bo Nix. Denver hopes a 7-4 run to finish last season is a harbinger of success. Las Vegas Raiders (5-12) It's an uphill climb for Antonio Pierce, the interim no more after a 5-4 finish last season. The Raiders have two winning seasons in the last 15 years and No. 3 will have to wait. –AFC West MVP candidates Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Mahomes is just the kind of player that can win the award — and Super Bowl — every season. A full year of receiver growing pains is out of the way and a mature group could mean Mahomes posts his third 5,000-yard passing season and 2x the 26 touchdowns he threw last year. Chargers QB Justin Herbert Jim Harbaugh has a pretty good track record with talented quarterbacks and inherited one in LA. If Herbert — who dealt with a foot injury in the preseason — stays healthy, the Chargers could be a sneaky contender in the AFC. Rams RB Kyren Williams As if a 1,114-yard season — average of 5.0 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns and 32 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns — wasn't Williams will also return punts this season. If the Rams are a playoff team and he's a force on special teams, Williams will emerge as a dark horse MVP candidate. –AFC West breakout players Chiefs LT Kingsley Suamataia The rookie third-round pick from BYU jumps into the fire as a starter with Wanya Morris injured. Kansas City envisioned Suamataia as a starter eventually, but he'll get the chance sooner than expected. Chiefs FB/RB Carson Steele Listed fourth on the depth chart, Steele has already been featured in Andy Reid's creative playbook laboratory. The undrafted free agent is more power than highlight-reel athleticism, but KC sees him as a strong complement to its revised stable of backs. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston A first-round pick in 2023, Johnston acclimated slowly and never became the featured red-zone attraction he was at TCU. But a year with Justin Herbert and a new system built to be run-first stands to highlight Johnston's massive size and potential. Broncos LB Nik Bonitto On 15.5 percent of his pass rushes, Bonitto was the first player to arrive at the quarterback. The next step would be to finish those pressures with more than the 8.0 sacks he recorded last season. Broncos RB Javonte Williams A 1,000-yard season is on the horizon for the third-year running back. Until Nix gets comfortable, expect a heavy dose of Williams. Raiders TE Brock Bowers The Georgia rookie has the skill set to redefine the tight end position. Collegiately he had a career with 175 receptions, 2,538 yards and 26 touchdown catches. He also had 193 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a running option. Raiders RB Zamir White A determined, yards-after contact runner racked up 457 yards on 84 carries with a punishing running style in the final four games of last season when he filled in for Josh Jacobs, who left for Green Bay. Week 1 outlook Ravens at Chiefs, Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:20 p.m. ET As juicy of a matchup as there is Week 1. It's a rematch of January's AFC playoff slugfest, won 17-10 by the Chiefs, and could be a prelude to another game in late January of 2025. All the main players, the Swifties and a national TV audience are back. There's a redemption opportunity for Ravens two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson after the Chiefs' defense pitched a second-half shutout in Baltimore to seal the playoff win. Broncos at Seahawks, 1 p.m. ET For the first time in 14 years, Seattle will open a season without Pete Carroll on the sidelines but does everyone a favor by wearing the Largent-Curt Warner era blue throwbacks. New head coach Mike Macdonald jumped from Ravens defensive coordinator to driver's seat in Seattle with a 3-4 defense with an exotic blitz scheme to challenge Nix. Geno Smith has a combined 50 touchdowns the last two years for Seattle, but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron moved on to the Chicago Bears. Ryan Grubb will call plays for the Seahawks after a successful stint at the University of Washington. Chargers at Raiders, 1 p.m. ET Who's got it better than the Chargers? We're about to find out. Vegas was in the bidding and wanted Harbaugh on the sideline, but the Chargers uncharacteristically opened up the coffers and secured the former Michigan coach for five years and a reported $80 million. It's been 10 years since Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record, two NFC Championship games and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII. Spunky journeyman Gardner Minshew will try to recapture the "Minshew Mania" movement and lead a revival of the Raiders in Las Vegas. –Field Level Media
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Arjen Robben has called time on his international career after 14 years representing Netherlands.
Robben played his last game for the Oranje on Tuesday as Netherlands beat Sweden 2-0 but missed out on a World Cup play-off place, the Bayern Munich winger bowing out in style as his first-half double helped them to victory.
Here, with the help of Opta, we look back at the best international statistics of a player who was part of the Netherlands side that reached the World Cup final in 2010.
Arjen Robben is the fourth top goalscorer for Netherlands with 37 goals (level with Dennis Bergkamp), behind Robin van Persie (50), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (42) and Patrick Kluivert (40).
Since his debut on April 30 2003 (v Portugal), Robben has appeared in …
Germany Under-21 coach Horst Hrubesch has called for calm after his side s humbling exit from the European Under-21 Championship following a 5-0 semi-final thrashing against Portugal.
Hrubesch s men were totally outplayed in Olomouc as they slumped to a first defeat in 15 competitive games, with midfielder Emre Can quick to brand it a shameful result for the 2009 winners.
Hrubesch, though, was not as forthcoming as Can in slamming his players.
We shouldn t have to start from scratch, said the former Hamburg striker.
The lads are realists enough to know that there are days like the 7-1 win for the Germany senior side in Brazil [at last year s World Cup], where everything goes right, and others where it doesn t quite go as planned. There are days …
Roberto Mancini insisted Inter are still well in the race for the Champions League spots despite Radja Nainggolan s late strike denying them victory at Roma.
Inter were six minutes away from a first Serie A victory at Stadio Olimpico since 2008 after Ivan Perisic s goal early in the second half on Saturday, but the Belgium midfielder netted with a sliding effort after Edin Dzeko had mishit a shot into his path.
That meant Roma, whose eight-match winning streak in the league was ended, remain five points clear of Inter in the third and final Champions League place, but Mancini is still hopeful of catching them.
The team put in an excellent performance, which builds on our recent displays, he said.
There are still so many points up for grabs. If we finish…
Zinedine Zidane is adamant that regardless of the result in Saturday s El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the LaLiga title race will not be over.
Madrid head into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu trailing their great rivals by 11 points, although they have played a game fewer.
A victory coupled with a win in their game in hand would bring Madrid to within five points of Barca, but history does not bode well for Zidane s side.
No team has ever recovered from a deficit of 10 points or more and gone on to win LaLiga, meaning the odds are well in favour of Ernesto Valverde s men.
Zidane is refusing to give up hope of finishing top of the pile, though, insisting that even if Barca win to go 14 points clear, Madrid have plenty of time left.
…
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insists no one is blaming each other for the shock German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken but accepts it will take a while to process.
The Bundesliga champions head to Borussia Dortmund for Der Klassiker on Saturday and Tuchel admits their midweek embarrassment “doesn’t make everyday life any easier”.
“It takes some time to digest it. There is no reason to be resigned and point fingers at each other,” he said.
Tuchel on going out of the DFB-Pokal: We ve got no reason to give up hope. We re on a good run in the Bundesliga and we ve got full confidence in our strong team. […] Unfortunately, losing is just a part of sport. Now, we ve got to bounce back.
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN)
…
Aston Villa have signed Tyrone Mings for a reported £20million.
The defender becomes Bournemouth s club-record sale, with the fee said to include clauses that could see it rise to £26.5m.
During a loan spell at Villa Park last season, Mings made 18 appearances to help Villa win promotion from the Championship.
And after the arrivals of Matt Targett and Wesley, Mings has further bolstered Dean Smith s squad for the 2019-20 season.
We re really pleased to have Tyrone back at Aston Villa on a permanent basis, he told Villa s official club website.
I think everybody could see the connection that he made with the club as a whole and it is excellent news that we can continue the relationship in the Premier League.
He will be an integral p…
Manchester United have completed the signing of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna for £35million (€42.5m).
The Netherlands international, who was part of the side that reached the Euro 2024 semi-finals, has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option for a further year.
Zirkzee is United s first major signing of the transfer window, as Erik ten Hag looks to improve on the Red Devils disappointing eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
The 23-year-old scored 11 Serie A goals last term as Bologna secured Champions League qualification for the first time in their history.
Ready to make his mark
Joshua Zirkzee: welcome to Manchester United
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
Zirkzee told United s of…
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However, you can t just make any wager you want. Only select, high-profile matches are eligible. You can find these special promotions on the site s landing page, which will highlight any active promotions. If you place a Correct Score bet on one of these matches and lose, you can get up to $10 back.
The refund will be …
Erik ten Hag hailed the progress Manchester United have made in their defensive work after recording three successive victories, as he weighs up whether to hand Antony his debut against Arsenal on Sunday.
United continued their recovery from a dismal start to Ten Hag s tenure on Thursday, with Jadon Sancho s goal seeing off Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The Red Devils last posted three successive league wins in December 2021, when they downed Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Norwich City.
Ten Hag s team have also kept back-to-back clean sheets after clinching a shutout win over Southampton last week, but while the Dutchman is pleased with their defensive improvements, he knows there is still work to be done.
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Harry Redknapp has played down reports linking him with Premier League strugglers Newcastle United.
Steve McClaren is under the pump as Newcastle head coach after a 3-1 loss to AFC Bournemouth saw them slump to second last in the league table.
The club have won just two of their past 12 league fixtures and face the serious threat of relegation to the Championship for a second time since 2009.
However, when asked if he had held talks with Newcastle over replacing McClaren, Redknapp told TV3: No, I ve never spoken to anybody at Newcastle.
Steve s still in a job. I like Steve McClaren. I ve worked with Steve, he s an excellent coach, manager, whatever, but he needs a result quickly. But I ve never spoken to them.
I was getting on the plane tod…