The Broncos have a shot to wake up atop the AFC West, but only if they handle the Chiefs in a game that asks Denver to be sharper, faster and a lot more ruthless than it was in the opener at Arrowhead Stadium.
That’s where the bold part comes in. This matchup sets up a handful of swing moments for Denver, and if those breaks go the Broncos’ way, the division picture changes in a hurry.
Start with Bo Nix. He has topped 200 passing yards only three times this season, and he has thrown two touchdowns in a game just once.
He also has not yet put together a game in which he clears 200 yards and throws for more than one touchdown. That changes against Kansas City.
Nix pushes the ball downfield, creates some explosive plays and gets over the hump, even though he does throw an interception early. The key is that he responds instead of shrinking back into a cautious approach.
Rookie running back Audric Estime also keeps climbing. He has only appeared in three games, and one of those was basically a non-factor outing with just three snaps and no touches.
In the two games that really counted, though, Denver trusted him to close things out, and he finished with 69 yards from scrimmage and then 58. Against the Chiefs, he takes another step and breaks 100 yards from scrimmage as he continues to take over the top running back role.
The pass rush gets its moment too, even if Patrick Mahomes has made a habit of avoiding it. He has taken only seven sacks this season, the fewest of any quarterback in the NFL, and Kansas City has allowed the seventh-lowest pressure rate on him.
Mahomes is slippery because he moves the pocket, escapes trouble and gets the ball out quickly. Still, Denver just handled Jacoby Brissett in a similar kind of setup, and Brissett’s time to throw was faster than Mahomes’.
At Mile High, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen team up for five sacks on Mahomes and keep the streak going.
Patrick Surtain II also makes his presence felt in his first game back from injury. He comes away with an interception, and while there’s no prediction that he takes it all the way back, the possibility is there because of the way he plays. In a game with the division lead hanging in the balance, he gets the kind of turnover Denver needs.
And then there’s the tackling. Vance Joseph should have a simple opening message for his defense: 29.8%.
That was Denver’s missed-tackle rate in the season opener at Arrowhead, when the Broncos had eight players with at least two missed tackles and both starting linebackers combined for nine. That kind of sloppiness doesn’t show up again.
With the home crowd behind them, the Broncos clean it up in a big way.
In Other News...
Broncos Have One Overlooked Edge That Could Decide Chiefs Game
Special teams rarely get the headline billing in a Broncos-Chiefs matchup, but they can swing a game that figures to be tight in the margins. Denver enters with Wil Lutz giving it steady production on field goals, and the Broncos also appear to have an edge in the kicking and field-position battle thanks to Jeremy Crawshaw and Marvin Mims Jr., two pieces that can quietly change how the game is played.
Kansas City still has leg power with Matt Araiza, but the Broncos overall profile on special teams looks cleaner heading into the showdown. If Denver can keep winning the hidden-yardage fight, it could put extra pressure on an offense that may not get many easy possessions, and it could turn one of the leagues most familiar rivalry games into a field-position contest. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Need Jaylen Waddle In Massive Chiefs Showdown
Jaylen Waddles availability has become one of the biggest subplots heading into Denvers Week 8 trip to Kansas City. The Broncos wide receiver first dealt with a chest injury in Week 6, then aggravated it in a later game, leaving him questionable for a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. Denver has every reason to want him on the field, especially with Waddle having been targeted 45 times this season and already serving as a central part of the passing game.
The timing matters even more because the Chiefs are not at full strength on defense, with several key players either ruled out or on injured reserve. If Waddle can go, he should be involved early and often as Denver tries to take advantage of the matchup and keep pace in a game that could shape the AFC West race. For now, though, the Broncos are waiting to see whether their top receiver can answer the bell. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Still Have A Real AFC West Opening Even If Sunday Hurts
The Broncos have spent the past month living with little margin for error, and Sundays Week 8 matchup carries the kind of weight that can change the shape of their season. Denver has already taken two losses since Week 4, but the broader picture still looks workable, especially with a schedule that should give Sean Paytons team chances to steady itself if it can avoid letting one setback turn into a slide.
Kansas City remains the standard in the AFC West, but the Chiefs do not have a clean path either, and that matters for a Broncos team trying to hang around in the division race. Denver has also shown under Payton that it can usually answer losses the right way, which is why this game feels less like a season-defining final judgment and more like another test of whether the Broncos can keep the door open. [Read more 🡒]