If the Denver Broncos are going to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and end their undefeated streak, they’ll have to play their best brand of football at one of the biggest junctures of the season.

Denver Broncos biggest keys to victory vs. Kansas City Chiefs

With AFC implications at stake, the Denver Broncos must play their best brand of football on Sunday on the road against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. What are the biggest keys to victory and matchups to watch for?

Broncos offense can’t make crucial mistakes early

A hot start is crucial for the Broncos offense and rookie quarterback Bo Nix on Sunday. The Chiefs defense is one of the toughest defensive challenges the team will face all season long, and a lot of it is predicated by the pressure of Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, who have given Denver’s offense fits before.

With the Broncos entering Sunday’s game fully healthy for the most part, Nix will rely a lot on his offensive line to keep him upright against the Chiefs pass rush, which ranks 26th in the NFL in sacks, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has them playing stingy on a down to down basis, where they’re allowing only 5.12 yards per play (7th in the NFL) through nine weeks.

“Let’s start with this, they’re playing really good defense,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “Now [Chiefs Head Coach] Andy [Reid] has done this a long time. So he knows how to win. That might vary week to week. Your roster changes, you have injuries and pieces come and go. So we as coaches kind of have to look at that. They’ve done a really good job at it. The heart of a champion—I say that. There’s a confidence level and there’s a belief that—I’ve been a part of that—where you just knew that you were in every game, or you had a chance. You take Tampa last week, going in there, [WR Mike] Evans is out and [WR Chris] Godwin you know…they played a real good game. I think it gets back to what you saw for years from the Patriots. It’s just that inner belief of, ‘Whatever we have to do.’ That’s what we’re pushing for, so we’ll be ready.”

Denver turned the ball over on their first drive in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers and last week against the Baltimore Ravens, and it put them into a hole early on. They can’t afford to do that against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs this week.

Courtland Sutton will likely be Nix’s top receiving option on Sunday, but he’ll receive a lot of attention from Kansas City’s secondary. Nix will need other receivers like Troy Franklin, Devaughn Vele, and others to step up to the plate.

Who will Patrick Surtain II cover?

Now that the Chiefs have added DeAndre Hopkins into the mix, the Broncos defense will have to figure out who they’ll match up on their top two weapons in the passing game. Will Patrick Surtain II follow Hopkins around as he did when the veteran receiver played for the Arizona Cardinals, or will Vance Joseph look to match him up against Travis Kelce, who is also coming off of a big game on Monday Night Football?

Denver still has to account for Xavier Worthy, who possesses dangerous speed, something the Broncos defense struggled with last week against Zay Flowers. The best bet for Denver right now is to put Surtain against Hopkins to help neutralize his downfield threat ability.

On top of that, the Broncos will have to account for Kareem Hunt on the ground, where he’s coming off of a 100+ yard game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday. Former Broncos’ RB Samaje Perine will also be heavily involved in the Chiefs’ offensive gameplan in passing situations, which the Broncos defense will have to account for.