On Sunday, theKansas City Chiefs face the Denver Broncos in the late afternoon slot of Week 8 games. We welcome Ian St. Clair of Mile High Report — our sister SBNation site covering the Broncos— for Five Questions with the Enemy.
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1.The Broncos lost 31-10 in Kansas City to open the season but have since won five of six games, including three consecutive victories entering this rematch. What has changed the most about Denver since that Week 1 loss?
The defense remembered how to tackle. In all seriousness, just put that horrible showing out of their minds and move on. However, getting humbled can also help level a person or team. The shellacking from the Chiefs was a great reminder that what happened last season has no bearing on the current one. So the Broncos better buckle up. And we’ve seen that in the last six games. The fact they’ve won five of six, with the gauntlet they had to start the season, is a testament to that.
2. Bo Nix produced two explosive touchdowns against Arizona, including a franchise-record 62-yard quarterback run, but he is still completing only 59.2% of his passes and averaging 182 passing yards per game. How would you evaluate Nix’s development through the first seven games?
Nix has been bad to start this season. He’s had his moments: the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, the two drives against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half (way more than Patrick Mahomes did against that defense), and then Sunday against the Cardinals. But he’s looked and played like a shell of himself to start this season. However, Nix played similarly to this in his rookie season and last season, so he has had sluggish starts. We’ll see if his performance against Arizona is the confidence builder that gets him and the offense clicking. Of course, all of this is easier to swallow when Denver is 5-2.
3. Seattle held the Chiefs to three points and limited Kenneth Walker III to 36 rushing yards last week. Denver leads the NFL with 21 sacks and could face a Kansas City offensive line starting backup tackles. How much of Seattle’s defensive blueprint can the Broncos reproduce in this rematch?
Honestly, just tackling Walker would be an improvement for the Broncos’ defense. But there’s no doubt defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and his assistants will look at what the Seahawks did and find ways to implement that in Sunday’s game plan. What will help Denver is the likely return of Patrick Surtain II, who has been out the last few games, and Jonathan Cooper, who missed the first game of the season. Something to keep an eye on, however, is Talanoa Hufanga has been ruled out, and now Brandon Jones showed up on the injury report with a hamstring. So potentially being down your starting safeties isn’t ideal. But Denver’s defense will be incredibly motivated on Sunday to replicate what Seattle did and make up for the Week 1 performance.
4. Jonah Coleman returned against Arizona and joined J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey in what has become a three-man backfield. Which Denver running back should the Chiefs consider the greatest threat entering Sunday’s game?
Running the ball, it’s Coleman. He runs much better than Dobbins right now and is a more dangerous threat with the ball. Payton said after the Cardinals win that Coleman needs more touches, so Coleman should get them on Sunday. As a receiving threat, that’s Harvey, as he showed on the 52-yard touchdown reception. So KC should prepare for more running back screens this Sunday.
5. Kansas City enters the game at 5-1, with Denver right behind at 5-2, making this an important early battle for control of the AFC West and positioning within the AFC playoff race. How do you see Sunday’s rematch playing out, including your final score prediction and how much control the winner will gain in the division race?
This is going to be a close game that will likely come down to the fourth quarter. Denver’s defense will play much better than that putrid showing to open the season. I also think Nix and the offense will build off last week against Arizona. The fact that the Broncos are playing at home gives them the edge, and they’ll get the 24-20 victory. That will put Denver in the lead for the AFC West, and with Kansas City’s upcoming schedule, puts it in a great spot to defend the division title.
