Subscribe
Follow Us
The league's most struggling defense has the task of taking on the scariest offense in the league as the Denver Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos have lost 15 straight games to the Chiefs, tied for the longest active streak in the NFL. The Broncos are firmly in the Caleb Williams hunt- collecting their second win of the season and ending the streak won't be an easy task during the first game of Week 6 action. The Chiefs have embarrassed Denver as of late. This article will explain everything that you need to know before kickoff.
When and where is the game?
The Thursday Night Football game will start at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Broncos are already at a disadvantage, and playing on the road won't help. The venue is GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
How to watch Broncos vs. Chiefs
Most Thursday Night Football games in 2023 can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, and that is the case with this game. However, it can also be streamed on fuboTV as well.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 12 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — Kansas City, Missouri
TV channel: Amazon Prime | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Chiefs -10.5 | O/U 47.5
Broncos storylines
It has been a rough start to the Denver Broncos season. Despite a relatively easy schedule, the team has struggled to win games. This 1-4 squad has losses to some of the worst teams in the league, but their failures haven't been for the reasons many fans would have assumed coming into the season.
Last year, Russell Wilson and the Denver offense were the worst in the league in terms of scoring. While opinions on Wilson soured, the hope was he could have a bounce-back season under the leadership of new head coach Sean Payton, and a good defense was supposed to carry some of the team's burden. Patrick Surtain, Justin Simmons, and Josey Jewell lead a defense that had been successful in past years. Wilson and the offense actually did come around, as the team is eighth in scoring, but the defensive production has fallen off a cliff.
Denver's defense is last in both points and yards allowed, and they've done that against low-caliber offenses. The last time the Broncos played a team of Kansas City's caliber, it was a blowout loss. The team lost by 50 points in a game that the defense allowed 70 points to the Miami Dolphins. While the Chiefs haven't displayed quite the magic that they have in previous seasons, it is still well known that the Kansas City offense is one of the best in the league and can explode at any given time.
To make matters worse, the Chiefs have had a lot of success over the Broncos as of late. The 15 straight Chiefs victories over Denver are tied for the most by any active team and is the third longest such streak in league history.
If there is a silver lining, similarly to last season, the team has been in most of their games late. Still, the Broncos' inability to win at the end of close games has been worrisome, and they haven't yet faced a beast quite like Kansas City.
Chiefs storylines
While the Chiefs' offense hasn't been quite the juggernaut it was last season, the team has still been plenty productive on that end. Last year's MVP, Patrick Mahomes, still ranks in the top seven in passing yards (1,287), passing touchdowns (10), and completions (123). Mahomes still relies heavily on Travis Kelce. The tight end has been extremely important for the team since returning from injury, especially considering the wide receiver depth is thinner than in previous seasons.
Still, Denver has enough big names on their defense that they may turn things around on that end. Simmons and Surtain are both elite players at their position and will make things hard on Mahomes if their front seven can slow down the run. Run defense has been the Broncos' biggest weakness, and it is something the Chiefs should look to exploit.
The Chiefs will always predominantly be a passing team with Patrick Mahomes under center, but Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire can provide some pop out of the backfield. The Broncos allowed 234 rushing yards to the Jets last week.
Even if the Chiefs offense has ever so slightly slipped this season, they have seen a massive improvement from their defensive unit. The Chiefs' defense ranks fifth in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed. Trent McDuffie, Justin Reid, and L'Jarius Sneed are developing into an impressive secondary together.
All three of the defensive backs have four pass breakups. Chris Jones is making things easier for the bunch as well. Since returning from a contract dispute, Jones only has eight tackles. However, the defensive tackle already has eight quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks. He is getting after the quarterback with urgency, and he is likely to step it up in the run game going forward as well.
The Broncos' defense is already struggling. Facing a play-calling genius like Andy Reid likely isn't going to help things. The Chiefs are big favorites going into the game. Still, anything can happen on Thursday Night Football, as teams only have three days to prepare for the game.
The Broncos are desperate for a win of any sort, but one against their AFC West foe would be particularly nice. The Broncos and Chiefs were once great rivals, but the rivalry has faded as the Broncos have struggled to beat the Chiefs in recent years. Mahomes has yet to lose to the Broncos, and Denver hasn't beaten the Chiefs in eight years, dating back to the days of Peyton Manning.
