Chiefs Vs Broncos: Key Matchups

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The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the Broncos in Denver this Sunday. After suffering their third loss of the season, the Chiefs are looking to bounce back in an emphatic way. Meanwhile, the Broncos are just looking to play spoiler at this point, while looking to show at least some competence in the final month of the year. Kansas City currently has a three-game lead in the AFC West division. Currently, the Houston Texans are the only team with a worse record than Denver in the AFC.

Which position battles could have the greatest impact on Sunday’s outcome between the Chiefs and the Broncos? Today, we will list four key matchups that we have our eyes on entering the contest between Kansas City and Denver. Let’s kick it off.

Chiefs Wide Receivers Vs Broncos Secondary

Other than one difficult grab by Marquez Valdes-Scantling down the field, the Chiefs’ passing game was reduced to short to intermediate passes last week. Because of physicality, length and versatility, the Broncos could certainly challenge the Kansas City pass catchers similar to how they were last week. Can MVS gain increased separation and win down the field more often? As for JuJu Smith-Schuster, he has been lethal in the short to intermediate game this season, while being effective after the catch. His instincts and football IQ will surely come in handy against a top defense like this. Finally, it remains to be seen what kind of usage there is for Skyy Moore or Kadarius Toney, as the latter of those two may return this week. Both have the speed to terrorize Denver, if given the opportunities.

At cornerback, the young duo of Patrick Surtain II and Damarri Mathis are capable of throwing receivers off of their base and muddying up the routes. With their demanding man coverage, Kansas City will have to be smart with what areas they attack. On the other hand, safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson are able to flash excellent range and lateral quickness. Both can create turnovers in a multitude of ways.

Broncos Offensive Line VS Chiefs Defensive Line

In yesterday’s opponent overview article of the Broncos, we talked about Russell Wilson‘s struggles in Denver. Far and away, he has been the most disappointing part of this team. However, the offensive line has taken a step back after gaining some ground last season. Wilson has been sacked 37 times already this season. That is tied with Daniel Jones for the second-highest amount of sacks taken this year. Only Justin Fields (40 sacks), has been sacked more this season.

Not all of the sacks lie on the shoulders of the offensive line, of course. Wilson has been late to release the ball far too often. But for the blocking unit itself, injuries have led to different names coming in and out week to week. Both offensive tackles, Calvin Anderson and Cameron Fleming, are replacement level players. Dalton Risner is easily the Broncos best offensive lineman. His mix of movement skills, power and leadership shines through in the darkest of times for Denver. As for Quinn Meinerz, there are considerable questions that still need to be sorted out.

As for the Chiefs, Kansas City was nonexistent as a pass rush last week. It is not automatic that they will bounce back against a struggling Denver blocking unit. Even still, the added quickness and length of George Karlaftis and Carlos Dunlap could create headaches for the Broncos. That is especially true, when the Chiefs still have Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Mike Danna and Khalen Saunders at their disposal. How motivated will they be to rebound this week?

Chiefs Offensive Tackles Vs Broncos Outside Linebackers

We will also list a battle in the trenches on the other side. Although, the focus from Kansas City’s offensive line is solely set on offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie. Last week was horrid for both blockers. Not only did they struggle, but each blocker failed mightily in crucial moments, both in the red zone and on third downs. You could argue that Wylie is possibly playing for his job this week, whether that is for the rest of this season, or entering next year. Brown Jr. has always struggled with speed, due to a lack of athleticism. Yet, he has shown more struggles recently with his hand placement on punches.

In the Denver 3-4 defensive front, outside linebackers Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto have profiles that could give Brown Jr. and Wylie trouble. For starters, Browning has a unique blend of density and first step quickness. He is long. But, he is also compact to the ground and can work around offensive tackles. On the flip side, the rookie Bonitto has continued to progress swimmingly throughout this season. His quickness is also a plus trait. Elsewhere, Bonitto is surprisingly successful when opting to use power at the point of attack. He can win from both wide angles and when condensing flat through tight spaces.

Dulcich Vs Reid, Thornhill And Cook

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Even with the haphazard play of Wilson, he has found some trust and consistency when throwing to rookie tight end Greg Dulcich. Because of injury, the pass catcher had to wait until Week 6 to make his NFL debut. He has registered 25 receptions for 318 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Dulcich can win deep down the field. He can win after the catch. Dulcich can also add savvy route running and extra separation in the middle of the field, to boot.

Similar to aforementioned players or units of the Chiefs in this article, the Kansas City safeties are looking for a major bounce back this week. Justin Reid and Juan Thornhill failed to recognize plays at the snap, missed tackles in space and got lost in coverage last game. Overall, Reid is looking to primarily win in the middle of the field. Can Thornhill find any comfort when covering in space? Due to their mistakes, it would not be surprising to see rookie Bryan Cook get an increase in snaps to show what he can do.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.