Chiefs Host Broncos, Game Preview: OPEN THREAD

Chiefs Host Broncos, Game Preview: OPEN THREAD – by Price Carter – The Kansas City Chiefs just won a game against a team with a top 5 defense, and at least 3 Hall of Famers on offense, on the road no less. Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes put up more yards on offense than some teams do on a weekly basis. The Chiefs defense held an offense that has 2 legit running backs, 3 elite wide receivers, a hall of fame Tight end  and an offensive line with a few pro-bowlers and the offensive rookie of the year to 24 points. Oh and they had the greatest quarterback of all time under center. Was the game a little too close for comfort at the end? Yes. However, we need to just remember the context of this game. People have been calling the Bucs the most complete team in the NFL for weeks and the Chiefs walked away winners, yet again. 

I know, I know, the offensive line was brutal and yes, the Chiefs pass rush needs to get home more. Could Andy have been more aggressive in the second half? Sure. The point is, the Chiefs still are 10-1, and have played a challenging schedule to boot. Just remember that when we analyze the team and its weaknesses, that every team has weaknesses, and as Chiefs fans, we’re so lucky to be where we are at. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with questioning decisions, schemes, or personnel moves — it just needs to be done through the lens of being Super Bowl champions and heavy favorites to return again. 

1st Down- Stop the Run

The Broncos weren’t trying to keep any secrets when they signed Melvin Gordon in the off-season, despite having a pro-bowl running back in Phillip Lindsay. Denver and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur want to protect Lock by running the ball and setting up play action. Both backs also provide a nice security blanket for Lock to check down passess to in the flat. In all 4 of the Broncos victories this season they have rushed for over 110 yards as a team. One of the few paths to a Broncos victory this week is Gordon and Lindsay having a big day on the ground and taking care of the ball. The Broncos had 4 turnovers in their previous matchup against the Chiefs — not a great strategy when facing the best offense in football. 

The Chiefs will need to rely on their run stuffing playmakers in Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton and Mike Pennel, all 3 players are the highest rated run defenders on the Chiefs roster. This could be a good opportunity to see Khalen Saunders active again and spell Chris Jones and Frank Clark who are both playing a large amount of snaps. The more rotation there is the more fresh Clark and Jones can be for the pass rush scenarios. 

2nd Down- No Wasted Snaps

I promise I’m not looking for a jinx, but the Chiefs should be in good shape against the Broncos. In theory, they can walk in and play their “D-” game and still probably pull out a victory. Though I could see the Broncos coming into Arrowhead and having some sort of revenge game after losing 11 straight  and feeling slighted by the NFL for forcing them to play without a QB. The Chiefs should take this opportunity to figure some roles for players going forward and focus on getting snaps for players who need them. Repetitions continue to be one of the most valuable things in the NFL-even more so now with Covid restrictions limiting practices even more. It would be great to see players like Khalen Saunders, Willie Gay and BoPete Keys get some more playing time in this game to solidify their roles on the roster. 

Not so similarly it would be great to see Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and Le’Veon Bell have larger roles in the offense game plan as well. The Chiefs offense seems to be one that takes advantage of matchups. Clearly last week the Chiefs liked the matchup of Tyreek Hill on Carlton Davis! Some weeks it’s Travis Kelce or Edwards-Helaire. There’s really only one ball in football and it’s impossible to keep all those playmakers engaged in every game. Kansas City should feature them as  much as possible in the coming games — Denver, Los Angeles and Atlanta — that may not be as difficult to prepare them for January. You never know who might be relied upon in a crucial situation in the playoffs.

3rd Down- Figure out the Secondary

It bears repeating, that the Chiefs secondary faced the best receiving core in the NFL and gave up 24 points. So there is reason to be optimistic about the secondary and where it is going, but since the return of L’Jarius Sneed and the well publicised decrease in Juan Thornhill snaps, the roles have not been clearly defined and can lead to some confusion, like Armani Watts (?!) chasing down Mike Evans. Breeland and Ward are locked into being the outside corners and see the large majority of their snaps there. Sneed has been playing as the nickel corner role and thriving in it as well. Sneed continues to be one of the most promising draft picks of the Veach era. Fenton has been doing well too especially in the slot when asked to. It’s wild to think that the Chiefs Corners might actually be stronger than their Safeties, after all the outcry for corners during this off-season. Of course, this conversation does not include DeAndre Baker, who still remains on the practice squad. 

The biggest question looms with the Safety play. We know Spags is not afraid to ask one of his less rangey corners to play safety on any given snap. Could one of these corners help fill the void left by Thornhill? Here’s a gif and what Seth Keysor had to say about Thornhill just yesterday:

Ronald Jones is a fast running back, but Thornhill almost never gave up angles like this last year. He’s not able to accelerate like he was this time last year, and on a few snaps against Tampa Bay it showed.

The primary concern is having a player with enough speed to play the deep third of the field. Daniel Sorenson is a great player when placed in the situations to succeed, but when asked to do too much he often can become a liability. The best hope is for the secondary to find the right roles for Sorenson, Thornhill and Mathieu.

4th Down- Protect Patrick

It’s not hyperbolic to say the Chiefs offensive line might have had one of their worst games of the year last Sunday. Which is understandable, the Bucs have some real players on their D-line and bring a lot of pressure. However, they have the critical job of protecting the most valuable asset in the NFL. They need to be better. The interior of the line continues to be brutal despite average PFF grades. Nick Allegretti, Austin Reiter and Andrew Wylie continue to get confused by stunts, struggle to communicate effectively, and in the running game as well. At this point we know that the plan was never for most of these players to start this season nevertheless, they are here now and need to be stronger at the point of attack. 

Help might be on the way: Martinas Rankin has practiced all week and has been activated off IR. He showed some great promise last year, before having a season-ending injury. The Chiefs also re-signed OG Stefan Wisniewski to the practice squad a few weeks ago. It’s possible the line could look different at both guard positions going forward. While the Broncos aren’t nearly the pass rush that the Bucs are, Denver still presents issues for the Chiefs O-line. With the remainder of the season meaning so little to the Chiefs other than seeding, they need to focus on keeping Patrick healthy for the stretch run.

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Broncos 17

Price Carter — ArrowheadOne

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