PFF Week: Out West, Week 7

It’s your last chance to get caught up on the happenings at PFF before the next slate of games is upon us and our new ‘PFF Week’ posts provide quick access to the week that was. The ‘Out West' edition covers all things pertaining to the AFC and NFC West divisions for a one-stop Saturday shop built to keep you in the loop and on top of your football-watching game.

The AFC and NFC West are currently the NFL's two strongest divisions based on combined overall record which is no suprise considering the Wests are home to the 6-0 Chiefs and Broncos as well as the 6-1 Seahawks. Let's take a look back, and a look ahead, in the Week 7 edition of PFF Week: Out West.

Week 6 Wrap

It was another great week for both the NFC and AFC West as they combined to go 6-2 including 4-0 outside of their own divisions. The Rams handled an increasingly-struggling Texans squad in Reliant Stadium, the Chargers protected their home field against a very strong Colts team on Monday night, and the Seahawks and Broncos took care of business at home as well. Our writers recap all of the Week 6 action by highlighting three notable performances from each side in our weekly ReFocused articles.

REFO: Seahawks @ Cardinals (Week 7)
REFO: Colts @ Chargers
REFO: Jaguars @ Broncos
REFO: Cardinals @ 49ers
REFO: Titans @ Seahawks
REFO: Raiders @ Chiefs
REFO: Rams @ Texans

Palazzolo's Pitch takes a deeper look at how the league's rookie running backs have performed this year including the Cardinals' Andre Ellington. 75% of Week 6's Secret Superstars come out of the Wests this week as Zac Stacy, Malik Jackson, and Marcus Cooper are all featured. Oakland's Taiwan Jones finished the week as the No. 1 special teamer in the Week 6 edition of The Third Phase. Denver continues to lead our Power Rankings with their win over Jacksonville. First Rounders in Focus has some nice things to say about San Diego's D.J. Fluker and San Francisco's Eric Reid.

This week, Nathan Jahnke's 32 Observations focuses on a notable defensive player for each team. The Wests have a few players on the short list in our Race for Rookie of the Year, a list that includes rookies from the Cardinals, 49ers, and Chargers. Over half of the PFF ‘Had a Bad Day' Team is comprised of West players including the quarterback, a wide receiver, and 60% of the offensive line. On the flip side, only five players from West teams made our PFF Team of the Week.

Looking Ahead to Week 7

With the Raiders on a bye this week and the Cardinals and Seahawks having played their game on Thursday night, there are only five West teams in play on Sunday. The Wests combine to have three games against the AFC South this week including a potential game of the year candidate as Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis for the first time as a Bronco to take on the Colts' latest franchise quarterback, Andrew Luck, on Sunday night. We round out the games with the Rams traveling to Carolina and the Chargers flying across the country to take on the Jaguars.

3TFO: Rams @ Panthers
3TFO: Chargers @ Jaguars
3TFO: 49ers @ Titans
3TFO: Broncos @ Colts
3TFO: Texans @ Chiefs

As always, PFF Pick'em is the spot for all of our experts' Week 7 predictions.

Additionally…

Sam Monson uses this week's Analysis Notebook to break down how the Seahawks' scramble drill helped them defeat the Cardinals on Thursday night.

As we say every week in this space, the best place to get all of your NFL stats is right here at PFF. Check how well players graded by position or by team and take a look at our unique Signature Stats like Pass Rush Productivity or Elusive Rating.