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
1. The Broncos’ pass rush
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.
2. Keeping a bad offense bad
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.
3. The Chiefs’ tackle situation
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons returned to the Chiefs during the bye week after missing four for personal reasons.
After a full week of practice, it appears that Simmons is poised to start the game. Given the prowess of the Broncos’ pass rush, his presence will be a plus. Swing tackle Jaylon Moore held his own during while filling in for Simmons — but against the Bills, his limitations were exposed as he struggled against pass rushers like defensive end Joey Bosa.
Before his hiatus, Simmons was on pace to be one of the league’s best rookie offensive linemen. But he has not seen live snaps since Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be worth monitoring.
The other offensive lineman to watch will be right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who suffered an ankle injury in Buffalo. In that game, Wanya Morris came in to take his place.
Taylor was a full participant in practice all week and had no injury designation on Friday’s injury report, but given his past injury issues — as well as Simmons’ unknown readiness to play again — Moore must be ready to play at a moment’s notice.
4. Attacking the Broncos with speed
Running the ball is often a great method to stifle pass rushers, but the Broncos have a top-10 run defense — and the Chiefs will once again be without starting running back Isiah Pacheco (Knee). To keep the Broncos honest, the Chiefs may look to attack the perimeters and the middle of the field with the offense’s collective speed.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle) was a late addition to the injury report on Thursday, but he will be full go for the game. This week, his ability to stretch the defense will be important: he could be a big factor in the jet-sweep game as well as keeping Denver’s edge rushers at bay with the threat of reverse looks and other plays designed to break outside contain.
The Chiefs’ offense is at its best when plays are hitting over the middle of the field, so watch for the unit to attack that area of the field with speed. This week, the coaches need to create quick-passing looks for quarterback Patrick Mahomes that will deploy playmakers between the hashmarks.
5. Andy Reid after a bye
It’s a tale as old as time: Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid, the league’s best offensive mind, had two weeks to plot and plan for putting up points against the best defense in the league.
With a career 22-4 record after the bye week (and a 6-1 record with Patrick Mahomes), Reid’s squad will need a strong game plan to win the game — and get Kansas City’s season back on track.
