The Denver Broncos are set to battle with the AFC West division rival Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.
After winning back-to-back games versus the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennesse Titans, the Broncos improved their record to 2-4 on the season and will look to pick off the Chiefs at home.
And after running off four straight wins to start the season, Kansas City has dropped their last two games and have seen their grip on the division lead fade.
The Chiefs entered the season as the favorites to win the division and were expected to at least return to the AFC championship game as they did last season. However, with the Broncos surging, snapping a losing streak will be no easy task for the Chiefs.
Should Denver want to win their third consecutive game, they will need to limit Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Simple as it sounds, that will be difficult.
Mahomes, the 2018 league MVP, is the future of the quarterback position in the NFL and is known for his ability to rack up yards and compile points.
Mahomes has complied 2,104 yards and 14 touchdowns through just the first six weeks of the season. He is considered one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league, which will make stopping him a tall task that requires a group effort.
“It’s going to be a group effort, all 11 guys, whoever is out on the field,” Broncos defensive back Kareem Jackson said. “We’ve just got to have great communication and great execution. We know what these guys present as an offense. So many weapons that they have, the type of quarterback that Mahomes is keeping the play alive and just kind of launching it downfield. It’s going to take all 11 of us. We all have to be on the same page, try to keep him in the pocket and we’ve got to be sticky in coverage.”
Part of what makes Mahomes so compelling is his ability to navigate the pocket and improvise while on the run. Mahomes is tough to tackle, and the Broncos’ defense is scheming to limit his ability to scramble around the pocket.
“He’s one of those quarterbacks in the league that makes a lot of plays off schedule,” Jackson said. “Whether the plays breakdown or whether you get a good rush on him, he can get outside the pocket and throw it back across the field and find somebody wide open. We definitely have to be ready for off-schedule plays. We won’t get any physical work done this week, but we’ve just got to be prepared to scramble through and we’ve got to plaster.”
Given Mahomes versatility and the Chiefs weapons on offense, the Broncos’ pass rush and secondary are equally as important when facing Kansas City.
“He’s just a great talent,” safety Justin Simmons said of Mahomes. “We have to do a great job of rushing and covering. We know he’s going to extend some plays. We know he has the arm to make plays and the legs to keep extending them. We have to find ways to make him as uncomfortable as possible.
“We know that they’ve been struggling the past two games and just taking two losses, but they’re going to come in energized and ready to go knowing that this one is a big one for them and a big one for us,” Simmons continued. “It will be good.”
Should the Broncos win, they will improve their record to 3-4 while Kansas City would fall to 4-3. Considering the Broncos were dead to rights after starting the season with four consecutive losses, a win Thursday would be another step toward rising from the ashes for rookie head coach Vic Fangio and company.
