Arrowhead Pride
On Sunday afternoon, the (5-4) Kansas City Chiefs will play the (8-2) Denver Broncos on Empower Field at Mile High. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time. Now in third place in the AFC West, the Chiefs will take on the division leaders in what will be a critical game in how the playoffs will shape up.
The Broncos are coming off a grimy 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Thursday, while the Chiefs are coming off a bye. Before the week off, Kansas City lost on the road 28-21 to the Buffalo Bills — a stinging defeat that pushed the Chiefs out of the current AFC playoff picture.
While Kansas City is having a down year by its own standards, Denver is in the best spot to win the AFC West it’s been in for a decade. We can expect both teams to make their best efforts.
Here are five things to watch
Part of a talented defense, the pass rush is on an all-time tear. With an astonishing 46 sacks halfway through the season, Denver is headed toward breaking the NFL single-season record of 72 set by the 1985 Chicago Bears. This is not just a good unit — it is potentially an all-time unit.
Edge rusher Nik Bonnito leads the way with 9.5 sacks, followed by outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper with 7.5, defensive linemen Zach Allen with 6 and defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers with 4.5. Six other Broncos have more than one sack. Six more have at least half a sack.
The unit wins quickly, disrupts passing lanes and frustrates opposing quarterbacks.
For the Chiefs to find success, the offensive line must hold its own — but the Chiefs also need to find ways to quickly get the ball out of Mahomes’ hands, allowing them to take advantage of the Broncos’ aggressive nature.
While Denver’s defense is elite, the offense has been lackluster in recent weeks. The Chiefs should be able to exploit it. The Broncos rank 17th in the league in points per game, averaging 23.5. The rushing attack has been fine — Denver ranks ninth in the NFL with 128.6 rushing yards per game — but over the past few weeks, the offense has had issues under center.
Quarterback Bo Nix is having a decent season, but he has thrown four interceptions in his last three games. In back-to-back weeks, the Broncos have put up just 18 points against the Houston Texans and 10 points versus the Raiders.
Nix ranks 27th in the NFL with an 85.7 passer rating, but he poses a threat as a runner, too.
The Chiefs’ defense has sometimes struggled this season. But on Sunday, they need to find a way to force a few turnovers so they can keep a bad offense down.
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons [returned to the Chiefs during the bye week after missing...
