Arrowhead Pride
On Sunday, Kansas City will host an AFC West matchup for the first time this season.
It took until Week 10 for the (8-0) Kansas City Chiefs to host a division rival. Sunday at noon, the (5-4) Denver Broncos will face the NFL’s only unbeaten team on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
This will be the third matchup the Chiefs have had against the Broncos’ second-year head coach Sean Payton. Last season, Kansas City handled business at home, but registered a 24-9 defeat in Denver.
Now contending for an AFC playoff berth, Payton and the Broncos are hoping to upset the Chiefs again — this time with rookie quarterback Bo Nix at the helm. Denver is also looking for a bounce-back performance after Week 9’s 41-10 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Here are five things to watch in this AFC West showdown.
Over the last two games, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has completed 74% of his passes and thrown five touchdowns (against one tipped-up interception) as he led an offense that converted 71% of its third-down attempts.
While the rhythm established since wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins entered the picture is obvious, the Broncos have shown the ability to slow that momentum. When targeted, Pro Football Reference says that Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II has allowed a passer rating of just 55.4 this season, while leading the team in interceptions (3) and passes defended (6).
He leads a Broncos pass defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards per game (186.6) this season. Since it may be harder to manufacture open space for Hopkins (and tight end Travis Kelce) on Sunday, it will test Mahomes’ patience to continue his clean play through consistently tighter coverage.
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football,” Kansas City’s quarterback was sacked a season-high four times. This doomed several possessions where the team could have scored. Incredibly, PFF didn’t charge any offensive linemen with a sack; each one happened because Mahomes held onto the ball for a long time.
In truth, it was one of left tackle Wanya Morris’ cleaner performances of the season. Over a season-high 82 snaps, he not only kept Mahomes clean, but committed no penalties; in the previous game, he had been flagged four times.
This speaks to the talent on Tampa Bay’s interior defensive line. Defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey were relentless, eventually getting to Mahomes on longer dropbacks. The Broncos also have pass rushers to watch; Denver has the league’s second-most sacks.
Defensive lineman Zach Allen leads the team in quarterback hits (17) — primarily rushing from inside — but edge rusher Nik Bonitto tops the unit with six sacks. Edge rusher Jonathan Cooper and tackle Jonathan Franklin-Myers (who have combined for 9.5 sacks) will also be working to penetrate the protection.
The Broncos’ rookie quarterback has started all nine games...
