You think the Denver Broncos are angry after one loss? You think they will come out with an edge Sunday when they meet their division rivals, ready to prove to everyone the game against the Indianapolis Colts was a fluke? That is fair, but before you give the edge to the Broncos, take a long look at how the Chiefs’ seasons has been going. You may see a team that has all the fuel in the world, coupled with enough recent success to make them the scariest opponent the Broncos have seen all season.
The Chiefs (3-5) have every possible motivational advantage for Sunday. They have revenge, necessity, extra time to prepare and a recent blowout win to aid their mental approach Sunday. The Broncos surely need to be on high alert for a second “trap game” when the Chiefs come to Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium this weekend. Emmanuel Sanders said just that Wednesday afternoon.
“I know that Kansas City’s back is against the wall. I know that they’re going to come out and they’re going to throw their best punches at us. We have to be prepared for that. Kansas City reminds me a lot of Indianapolis. It’s that same type of mentality. Last week, Indy’s back was against the wall.”
The last time these two teams met it was on a national stage. In week two, the Broncos visited Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday Night Football and were headed for their first loss of the year – one that would snap a 12-consecutive divisional road game win streak. Instead, after holding a 14-point lead in the first half and never trailing in the game, the Chiefs found a way to lose their seventh game in a row to the Broncos, this one in heartbreaking fashion.
With the score at 24-24 and :35 seconds on the clock, Jamaal Charles took the handoff, was hit by Brandon Marshall and fumbled the ball. Bradley Roby picked up the bouncing pigskin (the fifth turnover for the Chiefs) and returned it for a touchdown and the Broncos left the stadium with a sudden victory. Regardless of what players on either side will tell you this week, that stings and will stick with a team until they meet again. That meeting is Sunday afternoon and it has huge implications for the Chiefs.
“You have a unique situation where you both teams feel like they made a lot of mistakes. Both teams are going to correct them and feel that If they do they will the win. So we are going to see two high-powered teams competing at a high level in a division game that, for both teams, makes their year,” Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Harris said Wednesday.
The Chiefs sit two games out of a wild card playoff spot and four games back in the AFC West due to their early struggles. They have played some impressive opponents through eight games who hold a combined 30-10 record. They will have to win several of their remaining games to have a shot at the postseason and the most important of those contests ahead are division games like Sunday.
“These division games are huge. With where we are at, the kind of hole we dug ourselves, it is even bigger for us,” quarterback Alex Smith said Wednesday on the team’s web site.
The Chiefs four other losses came at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals (8-0), the Green Bay Packers (6-2), the Minnesota Vikings (6-2) and the Chicago Bears (3-5). All of those loses were by less than 10 points. Broncos defensive end, Malik Jackson understands the importance of the game for him but admitted Wednesday that the Chiefs are already in a dire situation.
“I think you can look at their schedule and say they need this win more than any others. I think we all know the hole they are in. They need to win to keep their season alive.”
Additionally, their last game was a 45-10 win over the Detroit Lions in a balanced offensive effort with a total of 340 net yards and two interceptions on defense. Last week, they took their much needed bye and, as a result, they will be coming into Sunday fresh and head coach Andy Reid will have had an extra week of game planning. Wednesday, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak acknowledged how lucky his team was in Week 2 and how the Chiefs have been playing since.
“We got a lot of turnovers that day (Sept. 17) – very fortunate to end the game – but right now, we’re trying to focus on how they’ve been playing. They’ve been playing very well and they’ve had two weeks off to get ready to play,” he said. “They’ve lost some tough games on the road. You think about Minnesota, Cincinnati, Green Bay and then the game against us. They’re a good football team and we understand that. We’ll have to play better than we played the first time around.”
The Chiefs enter Sunday riding consecutive wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Lions and with an extra week to recall the late-game debacle in Week 2. Brandon Marshall also remembers that game and believes his team has improved a great deal as well since then.
“It was a short week and we didn’t play particularly well. That might have been one of our worst outings as a defense this year so far. That was early in the season and we fine tuned some things since then. We have a full week this time around and I think it will be a lot better showing for us.”
Regardless of their record, the Chiefs have certainly “fined tuned” many things as well and due to their record, they will be banking on ending the Broncos’ recent dominance over them. If the game goes anything like Sept. 17, minus the Chiefs’ turnovers, it will be Kansas City that leaves town with a victory and the home team sounding the alarm.
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