3 Chiefs Who Need More Playing Time to Crush Broncos in Week 8

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.

2. Mecole Hardman

The Chiefs' largest problem against the Broncos was an extension of the offensive issues they've had so far: red zone efficiency.

Kansas City scored just one TD in five red zone trips. They kicked a field goal in two more, Mahomes threw an interception and then we had the ill-fated fake field goal resulting in a turnover on downs. After ranking among the league's best in red zone TD efficiency throughout Mahomes' career, this was obviously a problem.

Well, Hardman's biggest contributions to the offense come in the red zone. Kansas City scored three TDs in four trips and kicked a field goal in another against the Chargers. Hardman himself even had a critical third-down catch in the red zone to help score the clinching TD.

That play was a microcosm of the impact he has when the field shrinks.

He scored 18 touchdowns with the Chiefs over four seasons (adding another two on returns) and was obviously a trusted target for Mahomes. Hardman played only 16% of snaps but made a massive impact on the game.

Since he makes a clear impact in the area that the Chiefs struggled most in the Week 6 Broncos game, I'm hoping we see more snaps from the reliable red zone threat.

Finally, there's a defensive player making his debut in this rivalry that should SMOTHER Russell Wilson.

3. Charles Omenihu

In only 51% of snaps in his first game as a Chief, defensive end Charles Omenihu was incredible.

He looked like the perfect addition to an already-fearsome defensive front and I can't wait to watch him feast on the Broncos.

Russell Wilson notoriously takes a ton of sacks. He's been sacked 20 times already this season, tied for the fourth-most among all QBs, due to decreasing mobility and pocket awareness that was never there to begin with.

The Chiefs notched four sacks in the first meeting. Can you imagine how many they'll pile up with Omenihu flanking Chris Jones and George Karlaftis? I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Snowy conditions will increase the impact Kansas City's defensive line can have. With a fresh, capable player like Omenihu ready to ease the load on other Chiefs' defenders, I'm ready for Steve Spagnuolo to let #90 loose.

Get all these players on the field more and we'll soon be celebrating a remarkable 17th consecutive victory over the Broncos.

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