Coming out of their bye week, the Kansas City Chiefs have a critical AFC West matchup with the Denver Broncos in Week 11. Currently sitting as the No. 8 seed in the AFC playoff picture with a 5-4 record, the Chiefs could use a win to draw closer to the 8-2 Broncos and keep their chances of winning a 10th straight division title alive.
With Patrick Mahomes and a high-powered offense on the roster, the Chiefs don’t need too many breaks. But down 2.5 games with eight to play, Kansas City could use any good news it could get, especially when it comes to Denver running back JK Dobbins.
Dobbins suffered a foot injury during last Thursday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders and according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, the Broncos are “considering what to do” ahead of Sunday’s game. Tomasson also added that he “was told placing him on injured reserve is being considered,” which could be a major development going into a game the Chiefs have to have.
Chiefs Could Exploit Broncos’ Backfield if J.K. Dobbins Can’t Play Sunday
The Broncos’ running game may not seem like a major concern entering Sunday, as the Chiefs rank 12th in the NFL with 104.6 rushing yards allowed per game and 18th with 4.3 yards per carry. But the last time Kansas City was in action, they were getting run over by James Cook, who had 114 yards on 27 carries as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Chiefs 28-21 on Nov. 2.
The Chiefs have had a week to study the leaks that sprung up against the Bills, but they don’t have much time to fix it as they travel to Denver. The Broncos rank ninth with 128.6 rushing yards per game and seventh with 4.8 yards per attempt this season, and Dobbins has been a big reason why, running for 772 yards and four touchdowns over his first 10 games.
If Dobbins can’t go, it brings a different dynamic to the Denver backfield as they’ll have to rely on the trio of RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, and Jaleel McLaughlin. Harvey has had a complementary role in his rookie year with 50 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Badie and McLaughlin have had even smaller roles with a combined three carries this season, which could leave Harvey as the lead back if Dobbins can’t go.
While Harvey also brings a threat as a receiving option out of the backfield with 25 catches for 175 yards and four touchdowns this season, he has also been a less efficient runner. His 34% success rate – defined by Pro Football Reference as the frequency a back picks up 40% of yards needed on first down, 60% of yards needed on second down and 100% of yards needed on third or fourth down – would rank last in the NFL if he had enough carries to qualify and is significantly worse than Dobbins’, who ranks 17th at 53.6%.
With Bo Nix’s erratic tendencies as a passer, losing Dobbins for an extended period of time could not only affect Sunday’s game but also the AFC West race. The Chiefs could take advantage with a win on Sunday and perhaps gain some ground after stumbling out of the gate to begin the year.