The Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) will take on the Denver Broncos (5-2) Sunday afternoon in a pivotal AFC West matchup in Denver. The game is set to kick off at 3:25 Arrowhead time and will be broadcast on CBS from Empower Field at Mile High.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams, with the Chiefs winning the season opener 31-10.
Since then, the Broncos have lost only once and are coming off a 30-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Chiefs were undefeated until last Sunday
night, when they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 20-3 in a lackluster showing.
With the division in the balance, this October matchup will carry weight and could have a major impact on the season’s outcome.
Here are five things to watch.
1. Attacking Bo Nix
The Broncos have had to fight and claw their way to five wins, with only one victory coming by more than one possession this season.
One reason for their issues has been their offense, which ranks 30th in the league in yards per game at 270, and quarterback Bo Nix has been the culprit.
While he has kept his turnovers in check — only three interceptions — he has averaged just 5.8 yards per completion, which ranks 29th in the NFL, and his inability to hit downfield passes has stalled the Broncos’ offense. Nix played better against the Cardinals but still only completed 51% of his passes in the win.
Nix is 3-2 in his career against the Chiefs, but two of his wins have come without Patrick Mahomes starting on the other side.
If Kansas City can limit what Nix can do downfield and contain him in the pocket, the defense could have a big day.
2. Harrison Butker
It’s never a positive when the kicker makes the “Five Things to Watch” list in back-to-back weeks, but an awful performance last week has put him back in the spotlight this week.
Butker went just one-for-three in the Chiefs’ loss and has fallen to a mere 68% field goal percentage this season. The poor performance and growing issues led to speculation after the game that the Chiefs could bring in another kicker.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs announced they had signed former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to the practice squad to challenge Butker. During his prime, Tucker was one of the league’s best, but he has been out of football since 2024 and has been the center of a highly publicized off-field scandal that led to a ten-game league suspension in 2025.
Bringing in another kicker was necessary, especially since Butker needs to know his job isn’t safe. Another poor performance could spell the end of the road for the Chiefs’ long-time kicker. Let’s hope this is the wake-up call Butker needs to turn his season around.
3. Third downs
This week should feature some crucial third-down looks and will put both teams to the test.
The Broncos have one of the league’s best third-down defenses, allowing only a 33% conversion rate, ranking second in the NFL. Their offense has been a different story, converting only 31% of their third-down attempts, which ranks second to last in the NFL.
The Chiefs offense has been middle of the pack converting on third downs, currently ranked 15th with a 39% conversion rate. A poor showing on third downs in Seattle has dropped them down the rankings, and things won’t get any easier this week against the Broncos.
On the other end, the Chiefs defense has been uncharacteristically bad on third down this year. They’ve allowed 43% on third-down conversions to opponents this season and were exploited by Seattle last week on third-and-long situations.
The Chiefs offense will face another tough test on third down, while the defense can use this week to get sorted out.
4. Chiefs pass rush
The Chiefs’ defensive line needs a much better week rushing the passer than last week. Against Seattle, the defense recorded zero sacks and just two quarterback hits. This season, the Chiefs rank 29th in sacks (8) and 26th in pressures (50), according to Pro Football Reference.
The Chiefs’ defensive line has been lackluster, with no player recording more than a sack and only one player with double-digit quarterback hits on the season — George Karlaftis with 15. The Chiefs’ high-dollar players, Karlaftis and Chris Jones, have not produced up to their usual standard, with age possibly becoming a reality for the 32-year-old Jones as he prepares for his 162nd career game.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Ashton Gillotte have both made contributions, but neither has put together a steady string of pass rush. Rookie Peter Woods has also shown flash as a run defender, but he has yet to make a mark as a pass rusher.
Fellow rookie R Mason Thomas has flashed week after week, but finished with only one sack — against Denver — despite impressive pressure in every game.
This week, they will face the challenge of a mobile quarterback in Nix, who has been sacked only nine times this season — four times in Week 1 against Kansas City.
The defense has been good this season, but the pass rush needs to step up to reach the next level.
5. Rashee Rice’s return
After one of the worst passing performances of the Mahomes-and-Reid era, the Chiefs will get an injection of talent at receiver as Rashee Rice returns after missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Through four games, Rice has 190 yards on 13 receptions and one touchdown.
He appeared to be building momentum with back-to-back 80+ yard games in Weeks 2 and 3, but didn’t record a catch in Week 4 when he injured his hamstring.
His presence will be a welcome sight for Mahomes, and it will be worth watching how much the Chiefs try to distribute the ball to him. Mahomes had this to say about Rice during his press conference on Wednesday.
“He’s such a physical receiver,” Mahomes shared. “He does a great job within the zone concepts and stuff like that, at getting himself open, as well as being physical versus man. And so having him back out there will be big for us because it’ll help take some pressure off the other guys to make plays and let them go out there and be themselves, and hopefully, we can have some success.”
