The drubbing handed out by the Ravens last weekend was bad.
Ugly. Concerning. Downright unpleasant.
But Lamar Jackson is different (see Thursday Night Football); he presents a unique challenge for any team. And the Chiefs – while undefeated – have been teetering on the edge of beatable.
Why not the Broncos?
Can Bo Nix and Co. storm into Arrowhead and end the Cheifs win streak? Or, are the Broncos content with the rebuilding project at hand, win or lose? Here’s what our guys think:
Shawn Drotar
The Broncos got a close-up look at what a legitimate contender looks like in Baltimore last weekend, and the results weren’t pretty. While they didn’t play badly against perennial MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, Denver is still lacking in top-end, consistent playmakers across their roster, and as a result, their margin for error remains very narrow every week. It won’t get much easier at Arrowhead against the Chiefs. The two-time defending champions don’t look as invincible as they have in recent years, but despite their own challenges, their extraordinarily disciplined approach to situational football – their 54% third-down conversion rate is the best in the league over the last 14 NFL seasons – makes them incredibly dangerous in close games, even with all-galaxy quarterback Patrick Mahomes slightly hobbled by an ankle injury. Mahomes isn’t quite as explosively mobile as Jackson (nobody is), but he’s still opportunistic as a runner, and still possesses a mind-meld with tight end Travis Kelce, who has 24 catches (on 28 targets; an 86% catch rate that’s almost unbelievable given the team coverage that Kelce demands) for 190 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. Kelce’s next touchdown will pass Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez for the most in Chiefs history, so expect Mahomes to look his way early and often. How the Broncos decide to match up with Kelce is critical, given that the addition of five-time Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins has paid immediate dividends for Kansas City by diversifying their already hard-to-contain offense.
Nevertheless, the Broncos match up far better with the less-physical Chiefs than they do the Ravens, and if Bo Nix and the Broncos offense can somehow mimic what Baker Mayfield and a decimated Buccaneers squad did on “Monday Night Football,” they’ll have an outside chance to pull off the upset of the year. Even if they lose, however, it’s important for Broncos fans to observe how they lose. That’s more important to the bigger picture, which is the trajectory of the team’s rebuild. Because the Broncos played respectably against the much-better Ravens, there was little reason for long-term concern. While Denver can’t lose 41-10 to the Chiefs and feel good about it, losing a game to Kansas City by single digits – on the road – would be nothing to be ashamed of. Assuming anything but a disastrous loss on Sunday, the Broncos will be 5-5 at worst, and still soundly in the AFC’s playoff mix; the long-term arrow would still be pointing up. If Sean Payton’s squad were to somehow get the best of Andy Reid’s, however, the Broncos’ immediate future changes, too – making the playoffs would become an expectation rather than a hope, one that long-suffering fans would welcome with open arms.
Mark Knudson
I’ve been saying all along that we can’t lose sight of the rebuild. Clearly this is not a top-tier roster yet, which the Ravens clearly showed. With that in mind, it was smart not to give away any assets needed for the future at this year’s deadline. Understanding that this is still the “on any given Sunday” NFL, Denver isn’t going to win in KC. Not there yet. Baby steps. A playoff spot is still within reach. But the defending champs at home? This has been an “L” on the Broncos slate from the start.
Dan Mohrmann
I think the Broncos have a great shot at coming away with a win this weekend. Kansas City has been pulling rabbits out of its hat all season and the Broncos actually look like a football team that can take advantage of mistakes (like a Mahomes interception) and head back to Denver with a W in their back pocket. The Broncos aren’t an AFC title contender by any means and that became glaringly obvious last week, but what I like about Sean Payton is that he has this team processing losses and mistakes and moving on. Add in the fact that KC is on a short week, Mahomes is a little banged up and there’s potential that the Chiefs are looking ahead to Buffalo next week. This game might be there for the taking. I think the Broncos be ready to go and it should be a great game to watch.
Cody Roark
The Denver Broncos have a much more favorable matchup on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs than they did against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are an elite level offense that has the firepower to go the distance, and Denver didn’t have an answer for them. The Broncos aren’t Super Bowl contenders, but they’re contenders for a playoff spot this season and the trade deadline signaled just that. If you take note, the most active teams at the deadline are considered Super Bowl contenders, adding a few pieces they feel can help them get closer.
Nate Lundy
To be honest, I thought they’d get killed in both of these road games, so I’m not sure that I feel any different going into Sunday at Arrowhead. These are two elite quarterbacks on Super Bowl caliber teams. If you thought before, during or after last weekend, that the Broncos are even in the same zip code as the Ravens and Chiefs you need your head examined. What I do feel, as a fan going through this week, is that Paton and Payton (sitcom law firm waiting to happen) have a plan and are sticking to it. Thus, the reason the Broncos basically stood firm at the trade deadline. The Russell Wilson experience will always leave a bad taste in fans’ mouths, but once it’s no longer a red mark in the checkbook this team can be a bigger player in the market.
