Kansas City Chiefs: Behind Enemy Lines With The Denver Broncos
Denver’s Defense
Denver has done a good job stopping the running game. Have they made any notable moves up front?
SB: The Broncos’ run defense has been phenomenal since the start of the 2017 season. They didn’t make any notable moves up front except adding Bradley Chubb to the mix via the NFL Draft, but there were no under-the-radar moves this year or anything. This is a tight-knit unit led by Derek Wolfe and Domata Peko, and they all feed off of each others energy.
How has Bradley Chubb looked so far? Is he the weapon they’ve needed across from Miller?
SB: Chubb has been really good. The Broncos are trusting him with a lot and he’s responding well. I wouldn’t say it’s been perfect so far for him, but he’s been very good. Chubb is really the type of player you can put in any situation on the defensive front and he can have success. He leads all rookies in pressures so far this season so he’s doing his job getting to the quarterback and he’s also made some big plays in the running game. Now, it’s just a matter of being more consistent.
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Without Aqib Talib in the secondary, how confident are you about this secondary led by Chris Harris JR.?
SB: The confidence level in Chris Harris Jr. is still pretty high, all things considered, but the secondary as a whole has left something to be desired this season. This is not a direct result of Aqib Talib’s absence but the Broncos’ overall defensive back group is underachieving this year. Justin Simmons hasn’t been the playmaker on the back end he’s shown signs of becoming, Bradley Roby has been bad through three games, and the Broncos can’t find anyone to cover tight ends. Su’a Cravens, who returns in four weeks, can’t get back soon enough.
Will the defense be able to slow the Chiefs offense down?
SB: I was looking into ways I could justify ‘yes’ as an answer here, and I may have found something. Denver’s struggles against the pass the last two weeks have been pretty closely related to a quick release time by the opposing quarterback. Patrick Mahomes has been incredible, but he’s got the slowest release time (from snap to throw) of any QB the Broncos have faced so far. He obviously likes to move around when the play breaks down but my thought is if the Broncos can find a way to get Mahomes off schedule and turn some more of those lower percentage throws into incomplete passes, they can rattle him a little bit and put some pressure on. I do think Denver’s defensive front is really good and they can still affect games greatly. But if the Chiefs’ protection up front holds up and Mahomes has all day, it’s hard to believe the Broncos’ secondary will be able to keep up.