Denver (5-4) at Kansas City (8-0)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 8 1/2.
Series record: Chiefs lead 72-56.
Against the spread: Broncos 6-3; Chiefs 5-3.
Last meeting: Broncos beat the Chiefs 24-9 on Oct. 29, 2023, in Denver.
Last week: Broncos lost at Ravens 41-10; Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime.
Broncos offense: overall (25), rush (15), pass (27), scoring (23)
Broncos defense: overall (6), rush (9) pass (6), scoring (3)
Chiefs offense: overall (10), rush (14), pass (10), scoring (10)
Chiefs defense: overall (5), rush (3) pass (15), scoring (4)
Turnover differential: Broncos minus-1; Chiefs minus-4.
There was plenty of blame to go around Denver following its 41-10 loss to Baltimore, especially on defense. But it hardly helped that QB Bo Nix looked very much like a rookie. He was just 19 of 33 for 223 yards with no TD passes and an interception, and he was sacked four times. He will have to play better against a Chiefs defense that has played well all season.
WR DeAndre Hopkins has already lived up to everything Kansas City hoped for when it sent a conditional fifth-round pick to Tennessee for him. The three-time All-Pro had eight catches for 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns in only his second game with the Chiefs, helping them beat the Buccaneers in overtime last Monday night. His ability to stretch the field also helps out Travis Kelce, who had 14 catches for 100 yards against Tampa Bay.
Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt against the Denver run defense, which is ninth in the league and is a big reason why the Broncos are No. 3 in scoring defense. Hunt has the ability to wear down defenses over the course of the game, and many of his 106 yards came late against the Buccaneers, as did his lone touchdown to win the game in overtime.
Broncos OT Mike McGlinchey (knee), LB Drew Sanders (Achilles tendon) and C Luke Wattenberg (ankle) were limited in practice this week. Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) and DT Tershawn Wharton (bruised knee) missed practice time.
The Chiefs have dominated the matchup of AFC West rivals ever since Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City, winning 16 straight in the series before the Broncos finally beat Kansas City last October. It was their first win over the Chiefs since a 31-24 victory on Sept. 14, 2014. That was also the most recent time the Broncos won a game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Broncos QB Bo Nix already has the most completions (184) and yards passing (1,753) by a rookie in team history. ... Denver is allowing 4.71 yards per play, the second-best mark in the NFL. ... The Broncos have run for at least 100 yards in seven straight games. Eight would be their most since 2011. ... DE Zach Allen has 10 tackles for loss. One more would tie Elvis Dumervil's record for a Broncos defensive lineman in a single season. ... Broncos WR Courtland Sutton has at least 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games. The most recent Denver player with three straight was Demaryius Thomas in 2014. ... Denver has the NFL's sixth-best point differential at plus-22. Kansas City is fifth at plus-56. ... The Chiefs have won 14 consecutive games going back to last season, the longest streak of coach Andy Reid's career. ... Kansas City is only the sixth team to follow a Super Bowl title by starting 8-0 the next season. It can match the franchise record for best start with another victory, set in 2003 and matched in 2013. ... The average margin of victory during the Chiefs' first eight wins in 7.0 points. ... Kansas City scored 30 points last week against Tampa Bay, its first time hitting that mark since scoring 31 against the Raiders on Nov. 26, 2023. ... Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is 47-19 in games decided by seven points or fewer, the second-best mark by a QB with at least 30 games behind Daryle Lamonica. He was 24-5-6. ... Chiefs TE Travis Kelce needs 41 more catches to reach 1,000 for his career. He has 11 straight season of at least 50 catches, the longest streak among active NFL players. ... Kelce has caught a pass in 166 straight games, the second-longest streak behind only new teammate DeAndre Hopkins, who has done so in 169.
It would be tempting to start Patrick Mahomes after his best game of the season, which included 291 yards passing and three TDs against the Buccaneers. But he hurt his ankle late in the game, which compromise his ability to move around, and he will be facing the NFL's sixth-best pass defense in the Broncos on Sunday.
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