Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos: Getting To Know The Enemy
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
A Look At The Numbers
Thirteen, a number that Vegas believes is the difference in this game. The Chiefs go into Denver as two touchdown dogs and that’s a number that isn’t too surprising. After last weeks horrendous performance from the offense, there is no reason to think that Denver couldn’t/shouldn’t be able to cover that spread.
But here’s another number for you, seventeen.
Seventeen points was the difference between these two teams last season, with Denver winning by ten points the first match and by seven the next. Though it seems like that was a lifetime ago my point is this, when it comes to division games you should expect nothing but each teams best shot.
Like Sayre said, you can never take a division opponent lightly.
The Chiefs don’t have much success in Denver, as the last time they won there was 2011 when Tim Tebow was still the Broncos quarterback. The time before that was 2009, when Jamaal Charles ran for 259 yards and Derrick Johnson had two pick-sixes.
If Sayre is right and this Denver team is better than last year (on paper from top to bottom it certainly is) then the Chiefs could/should be in for a long day but that doesn’t mean they don’t stand a chance.
Protecting a 24 point lead, the Broncos almost allowed a comeback from Andrew Luck and the Colts (sound familiar?) but were able to hold them off.
Last week, Peyton Manning threw for 3 touchdowns in the first half but was stagnant in the second.
After going a near perfect 6-for-7 on third down in the first half, the Broncos went just 1-for-7 in the final two quarters. Protecting a 24 point lead, the Broncos almost allowed a comeback from Andrew Luck and the Colts (sound familiar?) but were able to hold them off.
If the Chiefs have a shot in this game, it will come down to stopping the Broncos on third down and keeping the clock running on offense.
Manning is going to get his, that’s just a fact, and the Chiefs don’t have enough right now to get into a shoot out with them. The most effective defense against Manning is to keep him off the field which means Jamaal Charles needs to touch the ball more than just 11 times this game.
Certainly the Denver defense will sell out on stopping Charles but, almost every team in the league tried to do the same thing last season and he still managed almost 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns.
So basically, the Chiefs need to drag Denver into an ugly game, control the clock, and stop Peyton Manning on third down. Sounds pretty easy, considering the defense has no Derrick Johnson or Mike DeVito.