While the country prepared for election week, Denver Broncos fans spent last Sunday casting their votes for an upset win against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, the result was a landslide 41-10 victory for the opposing party.
While there are still many reasons to be excited about the current state of the Broncos, this game was a harsh reminder that they still have a ways to go before competing with the upper echelon of the NFL.
However, Denver now has a significant opportunity to redeem themselves, as they travel east again to play the only remaining undefeated team in the league – the Kansas City Chiefs.
Though Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs continue to pile up wins, they have yet to display the same level of dominance that opposing fans are used to seeing, leaving the door open for an upset.
Without further ado, this is what we have to see from the Broncos against the Chiefs.
Shake it Off, Defense
Apologies in advance for the T-Swift nod, especially given who the opponent is, but “Shake it Off” perfectly captures how the Broncos defense should approach this game.
The Ravens boast arguably the best offense in the entire league, and they have two of the best runners in the league – Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Vance Joseph decided to sell out to try to stop the run, resulting in a much more zone-heavy scheme that Jackson inevitably picked apart.
As LTB listeners/readers know, that is the complete opposite of what the Broncos typically run. They primarily call Cover-0 or Cover-1 looks that allow them to send extra blitzers to pressure the quarterback.
Simply put, it was a bad matchup.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, on what went wrong against Baltimore: "It was a different kind of game for us. Obviously, the running game was our first priority to get stopped, and I thought we did that. But in the pass game, it was more max-protection stuff. It was… pic.twitter.com/I136FLL3HU
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 8, 2024
One bad game does not mean that they are suddenly a bad unit, nor does it take away all of the amazing performances they’ve had this year. They attempted to adjust for an offense that could attack them in many different ways, but it didn’t work out.
Thankfully for the Broncos, the Chiefs offense has not been an extreme outlier compared to the rest of the league like the Ravens have. They are still a really good unit, as they are ranked in the top 15-10 of most statistical categories, but the losses of Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice have prevented them from playing at an elite level. Furthermore, we know that Vance Joseph is capable of rattling Mahomes, as the defense held him to zero touchdowns and two interceptions in their last matchup.
Nonetheless, it will still be a big test for Denver. Mahomes has historically been one of the best QBs in the league against the blitz, and Deandre Hopkins looked like his old self against the Buccaneers. They also still have Travis Kelce and rookie wideout Xavier Worthy, who has to speed to make a house call on any given play.
The Broncos must have the memory of a goldfish and come to play this Sunday, as a strong showing against the Chiefs will make everyone forget about the previous week.
A Clean Four Quarters from Bo Nix
While his overall performance against the Ravens left much to be desired, Bo Nix looked like he belonged in the first half. He was decisive, accurate, and displayed multiple instances of elite playmaking ability, including an incredible contested catch for a touchdown.
Once the wheels of the game began to come off, everything else started to fall apart. Truthfully, it’s hard to blame Nix for attempting to play hero ball at times when the entire team looked like they were out of gas.
However, despite his noticeable growth over the past five weeks, a recurring theme this season has been half-to-half inconsistency — performing well for one half before regressing to the mean in the other. If the Broncos hope to stand a chance against the Chiefs, Nix must be able to deliver winning football for all four quarters.
According to the bottom chart, Bo Nix is operating with less schematic hand-holding than most any QB in the league https://t.co/7yBXR7rScV
— Zach Segars (@Zach_Segars) November 7, 2024
This task will not be any easier for Nix against Kansas City, as he will face a great defensive unit.
The Chiefs defense has been the leading factor in their undefeated start to the season. According to FoxSports, they have held opposing teams to a respectable 18.4 points per game and are allowing just 293 total yards per game, which ranks fifth in the league. Furthermore, they have been elite against the run, allowing just 83 rushing yards per game. This doesn’t look promising for Javonte Williams and the running back room, who have struggled to lighten Nix’s load even against the porous run–stopping units.
However, Kansas City is one of the worst teams in the league at getting after the quarterback, totaling just 17 sacks through nine weeks, which is tied for 25th in the league. This bodes well for Nix, who has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league at extending plays and turning pressures into positive yardage.
If Nix can continue to flash his playmaking ability and create more chunk gains downfield, then the Broncos will have a great chance in this game. But, he must maintain this level of play throughout the game, as the hyper-opportunistic Chiefs only need one lousy quarter to completely shift the momentum.
Advance Sean Payton’s Legacy
Although some may still attempt to argue otherwise, it is safe to say that the first year-and-a-half of Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos tenure has been a success.
He not only secured the most wins for a Broncos head coach since 2016 last year but is now on pace for a playoff berth this season despite having a rookie quarterback and an NFL-record amount of dead cap. He also has provided Broncos Country with their most hopeful quarterback outlook in a decade.
However, the best part has arguably been breaking “the streak.” Payton and his staff are responsible for breaking the Kansas City Chiefs’ eight-year, 16-game winning streak against the Denver Broncos, as they beat the Chiefs 23-9 last season.
Payton’s legacy in Denver is already being cemented. Yet, he can take it one step further by being the first coach to sweep the Chiefs since 2014.
While this may sound absurd, it is quite possible this season, as the Broncos play the Chiefs in both Week 10 and Week 18—the final week of the season. The Chiefs have historically sat their starters in the final week of the season when they don’t have anything to play for, and their current trajectory has them on pace to have the No. 1 seed locked up before Week 18.
That means that the Broncos will likely be facing Carson Wentz and a bunch of backups the second time these two meet, and while the Chiefs likely won’t have anything to play for, it is more likely than not that Denver will have playoff implications on the line in the season’s final game.
If the Broncos can sneak out of Week 10 with a win, then they will be positioned perfectly to complete the sweep, which no other AFC West team has been able to do since Reid’s second season in KC.
It would be a massive confidence boost for a young Broncos team that has done nothing but exceed expectations all year long.
Furthermore, it would cement Broncos Country’s faith in Sean Payton, as he has clearly built the staff and infrastructure to create a winning culture. While the long-term outlook is still overwhelmingly positive, this would be a perfect cherry on top.
