The Denver Broncos have reeled off seven wins in a row. After ten weeks, they find themselves atop the AFC West with an 8-2 record. That’s quite the feat, especially with how inconsistent they have been on offense and special teams. This weekend, they have a chance to make a statement victory against their longtime rival the Kansas City Chiefs. Let’s take a deeper look at Denver’s Week 11 opponent and what the Broncos need to accomplish to earn a huge divisional win.
2024 Kansas City Chiefs Season
Review
The Chiefs finished last season 15-2 and were tops in the AFC West for the ninth season in a row. Ultimately, they wound up losing the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. On offense, they ranked 15th in points scored and 16th in yards gained. On defense, they were 4th in points allowed and 9th in yards allowed.
2025 Kansas City Chiefs Offseason Additions and Departures
With a high-caliber roster and lacking big time cap space, they were relatively quiet on the addition front compared to other franchises. However, adding to their trenches on both sides of the ball was a major part of the Chiefs’ offseason plans in both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.
They signed Jaylon Moore in free agency to a multi-year deal to help at offensive tackle. Defensively, they added veteran defensive lineman Jerry Tillery into the fold. In April, Kansas City drafted Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons in the first round, Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round, and Louisville product Ashton Gillotte in the third round.
Offensive X-Factor: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
There wasn’t any doubt who was going to get the Chiefs’ X-Factor designation for their offense. Nine-year veteran quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a special player. The list of accolades is endless, and he has registered a lot of big wins and victories in his short career. Who else could I possibly pick?
The past two seasons for Mahomes haven’t been great, but this year he has started off strong. In nine games, he is completing 65-percent of his passes for 2,349 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions. The Chiefs have a lot of different weapons on offense, and he does a great job of spreading the ball around. Five players have at least 20 catches for them.
This will be a big challenge for Denver’s secondary who will be without Patrick Surtain II for another game as he recovers from his pectoral injury. How they fare in coverage most certainly will have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. It’s also important to note that the Chiefs may be without a starter or two on their offensive line based on the injury report.
With that said, there could be an opportunity for Denver’s top-tier pass rush to rattle and get after Mahomes. They just need to be cognizant of his Houdini skills in the pocket and ability to extend plays. It seems like every game he plays against Denver; he comes out with some miraculous play that causes Broncos Country to despite him even more. Either way, finding a way to make Mahomes struggle will be Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s biggest challenge.
Defensive X-Factor: Edge Rusher George Karlaftis
Chris Jones has manned this spot in most of my Scouting the Enemy articles over the years. This year I’ll be heading in another direction. In his fourth season in the NFL, edge rusher George Karlaftis is becoming one of the most well-rounded players at the position. He’s certainly my defensive X-Factor for the Chiefs.
While some edge rushers just excel at getting after the quarterback, Karlaftis does a great job of being disruptive against the pass and the run. With 32 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 15 quarterback hits and a fumble recovery, the fourth-year veteran is on pace for his best season in the NFL to date. The Broncos’ offensive line has gone up against a really good slate of interior defensive lineman and edge rushers to date. For the most part, they have fared quite well in protecting quarterback Bo Nix.
That will be critical again this weekend going up against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense which is a Top 10 unit in the NFL. Nix looked flustered with his decision-making against the Raiders last weekend. If Denver hopes to be victorious on Sunday afternoon, limiting Karlaftis’ impact will be mission critical. They can’t let him disrupt their passing game which has struggled to take flight on a consistent basis throughout the season.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Chiefs
The Broncos are tops in the AFC West at 8-2. For all their warts, they’ve been a gutsy team that has found a way to win seven games in a row. That means something. Even so, this week’s game may just be their most important of the season to date.
A win against the Chiefs would give them a lot of confidence heading into their bye week. Whereas a loss may bring up a bunch of questions on how Denver can perform more consistently through the rest of the season. Despite their record, the Broncos have struggled in a lot of fashions this season. They have been hit or miss on offense (and that’s putting it mildly), and their special teams appears to be a folly most weekends.
Against a good team like the Chiefs, Denver can’t afford to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. What happens if J.K. Dobbins isn’t able to go? His ability to gain good yardage on early downs has been a bright spot for Denver’s offense. Can Bo Nix play better going up against a Top 10 defense? He looked erratic last week and must limit his mistakes and turnovers. Going head-to-head against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense presents a huge challenge.
I’ve been optimistic and picked Denver correctly in most games this season, but Sunday’s matchup is one that I feel might be just out of their grasps. I’d love to be proven otherwise, but if Denver performs as poorly as they did last week in most phases, it’ll be a tough game to win.
Hart’s Prediction: Chiefs 24, Broncos 17.
