Chiefs Face Off Against The Broncos, 21 days After First Matchup

The Kansas City Chiefs Are Set To Face AFC West Rival Denver Broncos For Second Matchup of The Season.

Even though the Chiefs locked up the AFC West weeks ago, they still need to win this game to have a chance to get the one seed and the playoff bye.

Despite a convincing win in their last matchup, this is not the same Broncos team the Chiefs took on three weeks ago. The team has since parted ways with former head coach Nathaniel Hackett. 

Jerry Rosburg will take over the interim head coach who was hired to the Broncos coaching staff to assist Hackett with clock management. Rosburg was brought in to do the head coach’s job.  

In the last matchup, Russell Wilson had the best game of the year with 247 yards, three touchdowns, one pick and a 100.1 quarterback rating. All three of those touchdowns came in consecutive drives. The first two touchdowns were aided by two Mahomes interceptions.  

The Broncos are coming off the worst game of the week after they got smashed by the Baker Mayfield led Rams. The 14-51 win was more than dominating.

Wilson contributed to the anemic offense against the Rams with 3 interceptions, 214 yards, 1 touchdown and a 54.2 quarterback rating.

Despite the Broncos defense allowing 51 points last week, the unit is still on top of many stats. Denver’s defense is allowing the lowest QB rating at 78.9 and the least yards per attempt at 6.2. 

Last week the Broncos got beat by Rams tight end Tyler Higbee who got 9 catches, 94 yards and 2 touchdowns, 

This week the Broncos will face a more talented tight end in Travis Kelce. Kelce has a history of dominating the Broncos. Over his career he averages almost 80 yards a game on six catches. That average of 13 yards per reception makes him a reliable target against a team that has had a history of great defenses over Kelce’s career.   

The Chiefs hope to take their momentum into the new year. One player in particular is running back Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon has had at least one receiving touchdown in four straight games.

Currently Mckinnon is fifth in the league in receiving yards among running backs. He is leading all running backs in receiving touchdowns. It’s important to remember that he is not the number one back on this team. He does not get as many opportunities as players like Austin Ekeler, Aaron Jones or Christian McCaffery, three guys that are behind him on the list. 

The Chiefs defense will look to continue improving as the layoffs are just around the corner. In the previous matchup the Chiefs sacked Wilson six times. The Chiefs are averaging three sacks a game and with little threatening weapons on the Broncos offense the Chiefs will send plenty of blitzes.

Last week against the Seahawks, Chris Jones got nine pressures on the opposing QB. That is the same amount as one of the best pass rushers in the league, Nick Bosa.

The Chiefs defense should not give up more than 20 points in this game. It is crucial for Kansas City to avoid turning the ball over.

The Chiefs defense is getting better play from guys like George Karlaftis who now has 4.5 sacks. The team leads the league in passes batted down. 

Kansas City needs to continue building on quality play heading into the playoffs.