Scouting the Enemy: Kansas City Chiefs

For Week 10 of the 2024 season, the Denver Broncos square off against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend in a high-profile AFC West matchup.

After a blowout loss to the Ravens, the Broncos need to correct course and find a way to compete against their undefeated rival. Sitting at 5-4, Denver is in the thick of it in the AFC's competitive playoff race, but the margin for error is slim. Every game from here on out matters. It'll be a tough to win on the road, but it's not an impossible task.

Can the Broncos take down their longtime rival on Sunday? Let's take a deeper look and find out.

The Chiefs finished 11-6 and notched their eighth straight AFC West title. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl . With that win, it gave them two straight Super Bowl's. On offense, they were 15th in points scored and 9th in yards gained. On defense, they were 2nd in points and yardage allowed.

When you are back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champions, you don't have to make a lot of outside additions to improve your squad. The biggest moves the Chiefs made in their free agency endeavors were bringing back linebacker Drue Tranquill and defensive lineman Chris Jones in free agency. Keeping those two in the fold was critical to maintain their success on the defensive side of the ball.

In the 2024 NFL Draft , the Chiefs made a bold move and selected Xavier Worthy in the first round hoping he could eventually replace Tyreek Hill's speed in their offense. In the second round, they opted to shore up their offensive line by selecting BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia. With Travis Kelce getting up there in age, they picked TCU 's Jared Wiley early in the fourth round.

Long story short, the rich got richer, and the Chiefs have more talent on their roster in 2024 than they did in 2023.

The Chiefs Offensive X-Factor: Patrick Mahomes, QB Patrick Mahomes has been nothing short of stellar since he became the Chiefs' full-time starter in 2018. The Broncos have only been able to beat him once. It's a headache trying to match up against him and his impeccable gridiron performances have made him one of Broncos Country's most disliked players.

There is no doubt he is a phenomenal player and surefire Hall of Famer, but he hasn't looked as good this season. For the first time in ages, it seems like there is some vulnerability to his game. Even so, the Chiefs are still undefeated. That's pretty crazy to think about. With that in mind, the Broncos certainly can't afford to underestimate his abilities.

To date , he only has 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He is averaging 50 yards less per game than his career average and his QBR is more than 10 points lower. He is taking more sacks than usual and there haven't been as many explosive plays down the field. Even so, he has two fourth quarter comebacks and three game winning drives. When it matters the most, he seemingly finds a way to make magic happen and do enough to defeat his opponents.

After Lamar Jackson shredded Vance Joseph and the Broncos' defense last week, that unit will have to perform much better to have a shot at being the Chiefs in Arrowhead. They can't allow to give up big plays and need to get off the field on third down. Despite Mahomes' struggles, the Chiefs' offense is the best in the league at converting third downs. Denver

The Chiefs Defensive X-Factor: Chris Jones, DL The battle in the trenches will be a deciding factor in Denver's game against Kansas City on Sunday. With that in mind, I opted to select Chris Jones for the Chiefs' X-Factor. Jones has been one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL since his 2018 campaign where he broke out with 15.5 sacks and earned Pro-Bowl Honors.

In his ninth season in the NFL, Jones continues to be a dominant defender capable of wrecking games at a moment's notice. His production is a bit less than year's past, but that's not for lack of effort or ability. He's routinely being double-teamed. Despite that, he still ranks in the Top 10 of all interior defensive linemen in pressures for the season and has seen an uptick in that regard over the past several weeks.

His efforts and that of his teammates is a big reason why Steve Spagnuolo's defense is one of the best units in football. They've been dominant and the major reason they remain undefeated. They win at the line of scrimmage and control the pace of games by doing so.

The Broncos' offense line is going to have to be on their A-game to keep Jones from being a dominant factor. Whether it's in the run game or protecting Bo Nix, everyone has to play at a high level to ensure Jones doesn't wreck the team's offensive plans. He's easily the player I fear most on their defense and they have a lot of great players.

Can the Broncos secure victory against the Chiefs? Anything is possible, but I think this is a tough match for the Broncos. Last week against the Ravens, I felt they struggled in the trenches. They also were their own worst enemies turning the ball over. If that happens this week, it'll be another lose. Quite frankly, the Broncos would have to play their most complete game of the season, not have any turnovers, and force at least one on defense to have a shot.

Can they do that? Sure. Do I think they will? I'm not so optimistic. I think this will be a closer game than last weekend against Baltimore, but it'll be a tough one for the Broncos to win. I hope I'm wrong because getting a huge win on the road in Kansas City would help rejuvenate the squad as the playoff race heats up.