The Kansas City Chiefs were thoroughly outplayed in all three phases of last Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs must now respond on the road against the Denver Broncos in an important AFC West matchup. Kansas City defeated Denver 31-10 in Week 1, but the Broncos have won five of their last six games and enter the rematch at 5-2.
Here are three keys to a Chiefs victory in Week 8:
Offensive key: Get Kenneth Walker III going again
Denver has one of the league’s better overall defenses, but stopping the run remains its biggest weakness.
The Broncos have surrendered 933 rushing yards through seven games, an average of 133.3 per game. Opponents are averaging 4.6 yards per carry against them. Denver has been far more effective defending the pass, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 56.4% completion rate and a 74.2 passer rating while recording 21 sacks and seven interceptions.
That should make Kansas City’s offensive approach straightforward: lean on Kenneth Walker III.
Walker dominated the first meeting with Denver, rushing for 173 yards and producing a 60-yard touchdown. The Chiefs finished that game with 220 rushing yards, controlled the football for nearly 34 minutes and converted nine of their 17 third downs.
Seattle became the first opponent this season to truly slow Walker, holding him to 36 yards on 14 carries. It was also the first time this season that he failed to rush for 100 yards or score a touchdown. Despite that performance, Walker still enters Week 8 with 701 rushing yards, 116 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns.
Andy Reid cannot allow one poor performance to move the offense away from what has worked throughout the season. Running Walker will keep Denver’s pass rush from attacking on every down and prevent Patrick Mahomes from repeatedly facing obvious passing situations.
The offensive benchmark should be at least 125 scrimmage yards for Walker.
The passing game must also provide more support than it did in Seattle. Xavier Worthy caught three of his six targets for only 11 yards, while Jalen Royals was held without a reception on two targets. Denver’s aggressive coverage will challenge Kansas City’s receivers to create separation and win contested catches.
Rashee Rice’s potential return would help after he practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday. Regardless of Rice’s availability, Mahomes’ receivers must be better when Denver commits additional defenders to stopping Walker.
Defensive key: Keep Bo Nix in the pocket
Denver’s traditional running game has been unproductive. The Broncos are averaging only 3.8 yards per carry, while leading rusher J.K. Dobbins has produced 293 yards at 3.4 yards per attempt.
The threat comes when Bo Nix escapes the pocket.
Nix has 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season. That total includes a 62-yard touchdown run against Arizona last week, when he finished with 73 yards on seven carries.
Kansas City’s defensive ends must remain disciplined. George Karlaftis and the other edge defenders cannot consistently rush beyond Nix and create open escape lanes. Collapsing the pocket means little if Nix can step outside it and turn a broken play into a first down.
The Chiefs should make him beat them by consistently throwing from inside the pocket. Nix has completed 59.2% of his passes while averaging only 5.8 yards per attempt, with seven touchdowns, three interceptions and an 80.7 passer rating.
Kansas City could also expand Jeffrey Bassa’s role as a quarterback spy. Bassa received snaps in that assignment against Seattle and helped the defense produce two third-down stops in the red zone. His athleticism makes him a logical option when the Chiefs believe Nix may scramble.
The plan should be to stop Denver’s running backs on early downs, keep the edges secure and make Nix operate as a pocket passer on third-and-long.
X-factor: Make your kicks
The Chiefs cannot afford another game in which missed kicks leave points on the field.
Harrison Butker missed two field goals against Seattle and has now missed five field goals this season — tied for the most in the NFL — along with an extra point. His 15 missed kicks since the beginning of last season are also the most in the league over that span.
Kansas City responded by signing Justin Tucker to the practice squad. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub continues to say that Butker is the preferred kicker and explained that the primary objective is to help him work through his struggles.
Tucker provides both competition and a veteran sounding board. He has experienced his own kicking struggles and can communicate with Butker in ways the coaching staff cannot. During Tucker’s workout, he reportedly converted all 30 of his attempts, including seven from beyond 50 yards and a 60-yarder. Butker then made all 10 attempts during Wednesday’s windy practice, with Tucker watching.
Whether Butker remains the kicker or Tucker is eventually elevated, the standard is simple: Kansas City must make its kicks.
A close divisional game on the road may be decided by three points. The Chiefs cannot leave those points on the board.
The bottom line
Seattle punched the Chiefs in the mouth, but one poor performance doesn’t erase everything the team accomplished during the 5-0 start.
Kansas City must reestablish its identity by getting Walker beyond 100 scrimmage yards and forcing Denver to respect the run. Defensively, the Chiefs must maintain edge discipline and make Bo Nix beat them from inside the pocket. On special teams, whoever handles the kicking duties must convert every reasonable opportunity.
If Kansas City can accomplish those three things, it will have an excellent opportunity to respond to its worst performance of the season, complete the season sweep of Denver and regain control of the AFC West race.
