Broncos must beat Chiefs to stay afloat in West
NFL Week 4 will be a big one for the Broncos. The Denver Broncos started 2-0 last year, and then things went sideways in a major way. Denver was able to get off and running against the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, appearing to be a bonafide playoff team. Instead, Denver cratered starting with a Week 3 loss, never recovering on the path to a 5-11 record.
This year, the Broncos also began the slate with a pair of home wins before going on the road and seeing their record drop to 2-1. Now, Denver faces the seemingly herculean task of getting back in the win column against the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the three remaining undefeated teams in football.
Kansas City is nothing to write about on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense has an opportunity to be generational. The Chiefs have scored more than 38 points per game in their three wins, lighting up the Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers on the road before coming home and hanging 35 first-half points on the outmatched and overwhelmed San Francisco 49ers.
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While this meeting between AFC West rivals isn’t the end-all, be-all, it certainly carries a lot of weight, especially for the hosts.
If Denver can find a way to slow down the Chiefs and walk out of Mile High with a victory, it would be in first place of the division at the quarter pole. The Broncos would also be notching their first impressive win of the season, giving both the team and fan base reason to believe in the Case Keenum era. So far, Keenum has done little to inspire hope, throwing five interceptions and generally looking incapable of repeating the success he showcased last year with the Minnesota Vikings.
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Should Kansas City be able to win in Denver for the fourth consecutive season, the West would be firmly in its grasp. The Chiefs would have a two-game lead on the Broncos and Chargers, already having beaten both of them in their respective stadiums. While anything remains possible after only four games, Andy Reid’s team would be in a commanding position.
For the Broncos, it comes down to getting Patrick Mahomes and Co. off the field, whether that be by punt or turnover. So far, Von Miller is continuing his Hall of Fame career with four sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and one recovered. His counterpart, rookie Bradley Chubb, already has 1.5. The matchups of Chubb and Miller against Kansas City tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher could spell the difference between tight game and utter blowout.
After missing the playoffs the previous tow years, the Broncos are desperate to avoid that same fate in 2018. Much of that dream is tied to beating the Chiefs, something they haven’t done in the past five meetings.
Come Monday night, they’ll have another crack at it.
