AFC Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

• Broncos HC Vic Fangio said following the game that WR Diontae Spencer will “have to contribute” next week. (Troy Renck)
• Broncos DL Dre’Mont Jones was fined $6,347 for his penalized hit on Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence. (Ryan O’Halloran)
• Fangio doesn’t believe the injuries to OL Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow are season-ending but the team is still waiting on the MRI results to determine the severity. (O’Halloran)

Chargers

The Chiefs might be inadvertently responsible for how aggressive the NFL is becoming with its fourth-down decision-making. Teams know they can’t give that explosive offense a chance to win the game at the end, so they’re putting the ball in their own offense’s hands. A week after Ravens QB Lamar Jackson converted a fourth down to ice the game, Chargers HC Brandon Staley greenlighted going for it on fourth-and-nine, Los Angeles converted, later scored the go-ahead touchdown and held on for a 30-24 win. 

“When we jumped offside on fourth-and-four,” Staley said via NBC Sports’ Peter King, “I personally needed a second to gather myself. My instinct was to go for it, but I just needed a second and so we had our timeouts and I felt like we’d send the field-goal team out there. And then I wanted Kansas City to feel a little bit of relief, you know? And then I was like, ‘We’ll take a timeout, we’ll put the offense back out there.’ I felt like, to win a game like this versus that team, you have to be able to live with the people that you put the ball in their hands. Like, whose hands are you gonna put the ball in to win this game? I just really felt like Justin Herbert was gonna win us the football game. And that’s exactly what he did.”

• Chargers WR Keenan Allen and TE Jared Cook were both fined $10,300 for taunting during Week 2. (Tom Pelissero)
• Chargers DE Joey Bosa said S Derwin James separated his shoulder on Sunday. (Jeff Miller)

Chiefs

Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub answered questions from the media after HC Andy Reid was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, having fallen ill after their loss to the Chargers.

“He just wasn’t feeling well after the game,” Toub said via Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. “He did talk to the team, and it was a good talk. Pretty much, ‘You have to quit the turnovers.’”

• NFL Media’s James Palmer adds Reid opted not to address the media as a precaution but appears to be okay after leaving the stadium via ambulance.
• According to Sam McDowell, Reid was released from the hospital on Monday and is “doing well.”
• Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy said the team knows what it needs to work on to get better: “We have to respect the process. What does that mean? It means taking care of the little things.” (Sam Mellinger)

Raiders

• According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Raiders DE Maxx Crosby plans to appeal a $6,971 fine for allegedly spitting on Steelers G Trai Turner. He denies he spit on anyone and referees from the game have said they didn’t actually see him do it. 
• Raider C Andre James has consistently struggled with his snaps the first three weeks and QB Derek Carr says it’ll be a point of emphasis to correct that: “It’s honestly time on task. I promise you we work on it. He’s also got a big dude in front of him. But there’s no excuses; he still wants to put it there.” (Tashan Reed)