At the end of Week 8 there is another potential treat: The Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) receive the Denver Broncos (3-3) for a divisional duel, both have lost their last two games – and are therefore under pressure! In the coin toss, mySPOX user Cyx explains why his broncos are winning, while SPOX editor Adrian Franke takes over the Chiefs perspective. The game will be shown live on Tuesday night from 1.30 a. m. on DAZN!
Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) – Denver Broncos (3-3) (Tue, 1.30 a. m. live on DAZN)
mySPOX-User Cyx: Where is the journey going in Denver? After a weak performance against the Giants in front of their own audience, the debacle followed with a shutdown at the Chargers. Although this “performance” is somewhat relativized by the injury-related changes in the O-Line and the loss of Sanders, it also represents a temporary low point in the offense over quarterback Trevor Siemian.
It should be noted, for example, that in the past two games, scores of just ten points were scored, due not only to the innocent passing game (6.86 yards per pass with 85 pass attempts), but above all to the inefficient running game (2.91 yards per pass with 32 runs). This results in a 25 percent (8/31) third down efficiency. This includes six turnovers, some of which are indiscernible over the period in question.
After the game against the Chargers, Siemian took a self-critical stance on the media and said publicly that he had to play much better. In doing so, he addresses one of the core problems. As a game manager he made too many mistakes, missed simple reads or held the ball too long, so many Denver fans asked Osweiler or Paxton Lynch as a possible starter.
Siemian has had major problems under pressure so far, and this should not be any easier against the Chiefs. Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy will have to think about how he can make the offensive not only more effective, but above all more multi-faceted, especially as Receiver Sanders should also turn out again. So why would Denver even have a chance to win the game?
As in almost every Broncos game, the answer is probably Defense. She showed how good it is in L. A., when the game could be kept open until the end of the quarter. By far the best defense against the run, the front seven around Domata Peko should pose big problems for shooting star Kareem Hunt and restrict his movement circles, as the Steelers did recently.
If you force the opponent to put the game into the hands of Alex Smith, the Chiefs are quite vulnerable. The O-Line from Kansas City has so far been weakened in pass protection (rank 21, adjusted bag rate 8.1 percent according to football outsiders), while Von Miller is in better shape than ever before. The No-Fly-Zone Denvers should do the rest.
On the other hand, it will have been well received that the Chiefs have enormous weaknesses against their opponents’ number 1 receivers. Football outsiders say only the Brown’s weaker. Now it will become clear to what extent Denver, in the person of Demaryius Thomas, can exploit this. Last but not least, there is a psychological point, as KC had to concede the first two defeats this season. If you want to beat them, now’s the time to hit them.
Adrian Franke (SPOX): I’m really very curious: The Chiefs still have the most explosive offense in the NFL, 8.7 yards per pass and 5.2 yards per run are the top scores, just like 13 runs of over 20 yards. Even if it went bankrupt against the Raiders – this quality was also evident in the previous week. Kansas City’s scheme is currently almost unique when it comes to putting defenses for big play and constantly getting the ball into the hands of their own superstars.
Of course, once again this year the Broncos have one of the best passing defenses in the league, and here’s good and bad news for Kansas City: the biggest weakness of the Chiefs – the pass protection – could be against Von Miller and Co. a serious problem, I agree. This side of the Chiefs was also late in the game against Oakland.
On the other hand, KC has the means to play around Denver’s powerful cornerback trio and instead attack the linebackers with misdirection and man-beater concepts. If this works better than the Steelers, which are primarily focused on Zone Coverage, there should be more ways to play the Run Game. The Broncos have improved here, but still few teams have a more complete and better run block than KC.
Above all, however, Kansas City’s offensive firepower should be sufficient to put Denver’s offense under pressure. And here’s where it gets exciting: The Broncos currently have massive problems in passport protection, Trevor Siemian’s good ideas at the beginning of the season have long since disappeared from the rearview mirror. Instead, Siemian makes mistakes under pressure and pays for coverage misreads, some of which are decisive for the game, every week.
Such missteps can quickly become costly against Kansas City, especially if the misread is on the side of Cornerback Marcus Peters. Emmanuel Sanders, if he plays, is definitely still beaten, Peters will probably focus on Thomas. Yes, the Chiefs are still vulnerable to the run, but Denver has to show that it can make a real difference. Especially if Kansas City plays out a 2-possession lead early on.
If the game is in Siemian’s hands, one has to say that Denver doesn’t have much of a chance. And Kansas City’s offense is explosive enough to put pressure on Denver even against the Broncos Defense.