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Chris Roling
(Featured Columnist)
on November 16, 2013
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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos meet on Sunday Night Football in a clash for AFC West supremacy.
Kansas City remains the NFL's lone unbeaten team under new head coach Andy Reid. Denver has just one loss and the NFL's most explosive offense.
As ESPN's Adam Schefter points out, this game is a gift to NFL fans everywhere:
Chiefs-Broncos combined win pct of .944 (17-1) is highest for a game this late in a season since 1969, when 11-0 Rams played 10-1 Vikings.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 14, 2013
With that in mind, let's dive right into a few key components for both sides. Enjoy.
Kansas City
Put Peyton Manning on His Back Early and Often
The offense under Reid has been superb for Kansas City.
That said, the last thing the Chiefs need to do is get in a shootout with the only NFL team to average over 40 points per game this year.
To avoid putting themselves in a hole early, the Chiefs must get in Peyton Manning's head. Kansas City touts the league's best scoring defense at 12.3 points per game. Nice, but it means little if Manning has all day to sit back and pick apart the secondary.
The good news is Kansas City is well-equipped to apply adequate pressure:
Kansas City Sack Leaders
Player
SOLO
AST
TOT
SACK
Dontari Poe
29
36
4.5
Tamba Hali
26
30
9.0
Justin Houston
30
33
11.0
ESPN
Manning is slow in the pocket but knows when to get rid of the ball. Consistent, quick pressure will give the Chiefs a serious shot to win.
Forget the Rush
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spor
The Chiefs average 119 yards per game on the ground. That's good enough to rank in the top 15 of the NFL—but it's not good enough to win against Denver.
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Denver's defense does little well, but where it excels, it excels. The Broncos happen to have the perfect counter for Kansas City's ground attack with a run defense that ranks in the top five. Denver allows the opposition just 87 rushing yards per game.
Running back Jamaal Charles has been great this year with his 725 yards and six touchdowns on a 4.3 average. But Reid and his offense need to focus on exploiting a shaky Denver secondary that allows 287.9 yards per game.
Kansas City may not have a choice when it comes to this point. That's not a bad thing against Denver.
Denver
Get the Ball Out Quickly and Rely on the Ground Game
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver offense is at its best when it can do this:
GIF courtesy of B/R.
Manning finds Demaryius Thomas in Week 10 for a score. GIF courtesy of B/R.
Kansas City obviously has a much better defense than San Diego, but quick-hitting plays will help to neutralize the aforementioned great Chiefs pass rush.
Where the Chiefs do struggle is against the run. While a borderline top-five unit against the pass, Kansas City allows over 118 yards per game on the ground.
The resurgent Knowshon Moreno is in for a big day. Moreno has been great this year in a pass-happy attack with his 521 yards and eight scores on a 4.2 average. He's only seen 15 or fewer carries in his last four games—that has to change against the Chiefs.
These two points will directly impact the next.
Keep Peyton Manning Upright
It sounds oh-so-obvious.
Manning has been sacked just 13 times this year. The problem is, eight of those have come in Denver's last three games.
Which team wins?
Chiefs
Broncos
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Which team wins?
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Total votes: 1
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That's not a good trend for an offensive line set to dance with an elite pass rush and the league's best scoring defense.
A reliance on the ground game and quick passes will stop Manning from taking an inordinate amount of hits. Manning did so last week against San Diego and suffered an ankle injury, although ESPN's Jeff Legwold reports it won't hamper him this week.
Denver must protect its quarterback to win. Again—sounds simple, but the Broncos have had issues in recent weeks. Kansas City will look to capitalize and is more than capable.
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