The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into a must-win divisional game against the Denver Broncos this weekend. Currently, the Chiefs are sitting outside of the playoff picture, and dropping another game behind in the AFC West would be incredibly difficult to come back from, illustrating just how important the looming showdown is for the Chiefs.
With this in mind, the latest injury news from Denver isn't ideal for Kansas City.
The Broncos shared latest injury report on Friday, with the notable takeaway being the fact that receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was listed as full participant, signalling a likely return. The Broncos' speedster has been out of the lineup since Week 8, and it is obvious his speed and the threat of a big play have been missed.
While you always want to beat a team at its absolute best, there is no denying the advantage injuries provide. It wouldn't have hurt the feelings of Chiefs fans if Mims had opted to take one more week before returning. Fortunately, there is still no reason to panic with the Chiefs matching up well against their division rival and having a great deal of success in recent history.
Marvin Mims' Return Isn't Ideal, But Is Not the End of the World for Chiefs
Mims' late-week improvements will throw a wrench into the Chiefs' game prep (especially due to his speed), but that doesn't make the Broncos more threatening. In fact, Kansas City is still the 3.5-point road favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook as of Friday morning.
Whenever quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in the starting lineup, it has been next to impossible for the Broncos to beat the Chiefs, no matter the location. Since Mahomes has taken over as the Chiefs' starter, he has a 13-1 record against the division rival. A record that is so dominating it is impossible to believe, even with Denver's struggles over the last half-decade.
The Chiefs have always had their rival's number, and even with Mims back in the lineup, there isn't much reason to believe this is going to change. Yes, it is unfortunate timing, but the Chiefs still appear poised to have an advantage when it comes to health. It helps that star Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins is listed as a non-participant and is expected to miss extended time due to his foot injury.
Considering the lack of a rushing attack for the Broncos with Dobbins out of the lineup, there is going to be incredible pressure on young quarterback Bo Nix to keep up with the Chiefs' offense. Added on top of this is the fact that head coach Andy Reid has a 22-4 record coming out of a bye week in his career.
All of this should help Kansas City fans feel better about an incredibly important matchup that just received a bit of news that is unquestionably in Denver's favor. Still, all of the history and talent are on the side of the Chiefs, leaving every reason not to overreact to Mims' injury news and have faith in Mahomes and Reid to get the job done.
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Odds update periodically and are subject to change.