Posted on October 27, 2018, by Travis Pulver
The Denver Broncos have been one of those teams this season that can’t seem to decide what they want to be. Do they want to be a legit contender that teams should fear on Sunday? Do they want to be the doormat of their division? Or do they want to be a wildly inconsistent team that may play well one week and terrible the next?
When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, though, the story is a bit different. Fans would love it if the defense were a bit better. But with how the offense is performing, it may not matter.
Via @Austins_Bar
The Chiefs will try to prove their dominance once again when they face the Broncos this week. But at the same time, the Broncos nearly won the first time around. Maybe this time they complete the upset?
Sign up for a FREE Consultation to start working with Legendary Sports Bettor Jon Price
The Debate
There are two ways to beat the Kansas City Chiefs but they both involve doing the same thing—controlling the impact Patrick Mahomes has on the outcome of the game. The second-year pro, first-year starter has been nothing short of incredible. The Chiefs were already a dynamic offense last year under Alex Smith. But under him, they are redefining what it means to be dynamic.
But it isn’t all about Mahomes and the passing game with the Chiefs. Kareem Hunt may have gotten off to a slow start this season. But in recent weeks, he has been running hard. After going for just 169 yards through Week Three, he has tallied 374 yards on the ground (and another 221 receiving).
However, while they may score a lot, in most weeks, it has been out of necessity. In the first four weeks of the season, they scored 38, 42, 38, and 27 points. But they allowed 28, 37, 27, and 23. So, while they have scored a lot, they have had some close games.
The Broncos were one of those close games. For three of the four quarters in that game, it looked like the Broncos were going to end the Chiefs winning ways that week. But despite their ten-point lead early in the fourth, they lost by four.
Could the Broncos have won had they been able to play a complete game? Maybe, but they may not have. We will never know.
But the debate can become more interesting if the Broncos are able to upset the Chiefs this week. But can they?
The Prediction
If the Denver defense can put some pressure on Mahomes while maintaining tight coverage and not giving up a ton of yards in the run game, they may have a shot. It is possible to see them getting some pressure (they had one sack, and ten QB hits last time) and maintaining tight coverage.
But stopping the run as well may be asking for too much. After giving up 121 to Hunt in Week Four, they gave up 219 yards to Isaiah Crowell (323 to the Jets) and 208 yards to Todd Gurley. The chances are good that Hunt will have another big day.
The Chiefs will be able to ride that big day to their seventh win of the season. However, they are favored by 9.5; don’t expect them to cover it.