Denver and Kansas City to Battle for AFC West title
The AFC West will be a dogfight the entire season between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Everyone thought the Broncos would be another runaway winner in the NFC West as they were last season winning 11 straight regular season games to finish 13-3.
The Broncos are doing their part to repeat that by winning three straight games to start the season. Quarterback Peyton Manning has dissected each of the three defenses he has faced. Including throwing seven touchdown passes in week one and having 12 after the first three weeks.
However, something has happened in the AFC West that created an obstacle in the way of Denver running away with the division title so easily. That obstacle is the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs have started their season 3-0 and have received close to error free quarterbacking from Alex Smith their offseason acquisition from San Francisco.
The Chiefs defense might be able to defend against a Manning onslaught. Kansas City has an excellent pass rush, pressures the quarterback and the secondary has held their own.
Even though some feel, the Chiefs do not have the depth at cornerback to hold Manning and his receivers in check for an entire game.
Nevertheless, the defense for Kansas City has held its opponent to only 11 points per game and has 15 sacks to lead the league.
Justin Houston the Chiefs outside linebacker has 7.5 sacks to lead the league, which is a huge threat to Manning since Ryan Clady his offensive tackle went down with a season ending injury.
Some are asking if the Broncos can go undefeated, while others question the Chiefs ability to compete for the AFC West title.
A former personnel executive in the NFL says Denver has just too much talent on offense that can put points on the board in the blink of an eye and Smith cannot match Manning due to being too conservative of a passer.
What separates the two teams said many is the amount of talent Denver has compared to Kansas City. That can be seen the way the Broncos have dominated all three games even without two of their best defensive stars.
Von Miller is serving a six-game suspension and Champ Bailey the veteran cornerback has missed all three games due to a sprained foot.
Denver however is tied for the lead in the NFL in interceptions, which is what the team idea is, to get the ball back as often as possible for Manning’s aerial show.
The teams will not meet until well into the season on November 17, but will play twice within a three-week period. The two games will be before and after the Broncos meet the New England Patriots and Tom Brady.
Their late season head-to-head battles will give both teams many opportunities to have blemished records. However, this week is highly unlikely as Manning faces the Philadelphia Eagles who might have a better offense this season, but left their defense in the locker room.
Kansas City takes on Manning’s brother and the New York Giants. Eli had been sacked 11 times already and that should fall right into the hands of the Kansas City defense.
If both win, the comparisons will increase so sit back and enjoy the ride.
