3 Chiefs Who Need More Playing Time to Crush Broncos in Week 8
By Joe Summers
The Chiefs play the Broncos for the second time in three weeks this Sunday, traveling to Denver with snowy conditions expected as Kansas City looks to earn a seventh straight win.
While the defense propelled us to a 19-8 victory in Week 6, though the Chiefs need a better all-around effort to keep the winning streak alive.
With Nick Bolton recovering from wrist surgery and several players underperforming, let's look at three Chiefs who need more snaps to earn a dominant victory against the Donkeys.
3 Chiefs Who Need More Playing Time in Week 8 vs. Broncos
1. Rashee Rice
I'm the conductor of the Rashee Rice hype train and we're not slowing down this week, folks! The second-round rookie had four catches for 72 yards in Week 6 and should be in line for an even bigger performance this time around.
Similar to the advantages the Chargers' defensive schemes gave Rice, the Broncos also run zone coverage at a high rate but are similarly ineffective. According to Pro Football Focus, Denver runs zone over 76% of the time but allows 8.63 yards per coverage snap, the worst mark in the league.
Rice dominates zone coverage and saw a season-high 59% of the snaps against the Chargers. He was only on the field for 49% of the snaps in the first Broncos matchup, though I want to see that number creep closer to 65% or 70% in Week 8.
Given Travis Kelce's outrageous output over the last couple of weeks, I'd think Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph intends to focus extra attention on Big Yeti.
I thought Brandon Staley would do the same thing and he just...didn't, so I may be wrong here. If the Broncos do try to slow Kelce down, Rice should be the main beneficiary.
We've got a budding star at wide receiver. Let Rice Cook this week please.
All that said, Rice isn't the only receiver that needs more playing time this week.