Offense

Broncos - Run, run, run. Good things happen when the Broncos run. Knowshon Moreno has been consistently good, and with the help of Correll Buckhalter, they’ve been able to tire opposing defenses. The Chiefs rush defense is terrible, but the sad part about the team is their pass defense is even worse. If the Broncos stay on the positive side of the turnover margin (which shouldn’t be too hard to do), the win is guaranteed. This is a great game for the Broncos to work on converting in the redzone. Last week, they settled for four field goals, which ultimately led to the win, but that won’t work in every game. Converting in the redzone could’ve prevented McD’s outburst on the NFL Network. Not that the Broncos are worried about that, but it goes to show that their redzone struggles are a concern for the young head coach. The Chiefs are known for giving up big pass plays, so if Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall get their connection going, it could be a long day for Chiefs fans.            

Chiefs- The man indirectly involved in Denver’s offseason drama will square up against his former mentor. Matt Cassel’s life was good last year. He led the Pats to an 11-5 record, and he was the talk of the town. I’m sure he soaked it all up until he landed squarely in the the middle of Kansas City’s rebuilding project. Good thing that 6 year, $63 million contract cushioned his fall from grace. The Chiefs are 26th is passing, but Cassel is establishing a great working relationship with new target, Chris Chambers. Chambers has started four games with the Chiefs and already has 17 catches for 319 yards and 3 TDs. A matchup with Champ Bailey could slow him down. The other guy to be concerned about is Dwayne Bowe who leads the team in receiving. The Chiefs released troubled running back, Larry Johnson, leaving Jamaal Charles to pick up the slack. Their running game isn’t much better than their passing game at 22nd in the NFL. Branden Albert is the Chiefs’ almighty left tackle, and should be Matt Cassel’s dry cleaner as well. Cassel has been sacked 35 times, good enough for 2nd most in the league next to Aaron Rodgers.              

Defense

Broncos - Brian Dawkins is questionable for Sunday due to ankle problems. It would be interesting to see how this defense plays without his leadership abilities and intensity out on the field. Elvis Dumervil should be able to get at least a sack or two against the Chiefs struggling o-line. I suspect the Chiefs will pass a lot since the Broncos will concentrate on Jamaal Charles and his recent success. With Cassel being pressured in the pocket, don’t be surprised to see the young QB throw a ball into the arms of Champ Bailey or Andre Goodman. Cassel tends to lean on his main targets, so getting to him in the pocket will force him into some errant throws. Denver’s defense did a great job against the Giants, creating 3 turnovers and limiting their ground game to just 57 yards. The Broncos did a great job anticipating the play rather than letting the play happen and being forced to close huge gaps. That’s the same thing that needs to happen this week.            

Chiefs- The Chiefs and defense? What’s there to talk about? Ranked 27th in rush defense and 30th in pass defense, and with a league low, 14 sacks on the season, the Broncos could easily have their way with the ball. Philip Rivers had his way with their defense last week, and put together a 43 point performance. As I said before, the Chiefs give up some big plays because the coverage isn’t tight in the secondary. Things went down hill for them when Bernard Pollard was released and Jarrad Page was placed on the IR. The Broncos have started throwing longer balls, so look for them to take advantage of the Chiefs in this area. Demorrio Williams is leading the team in tackles, Tamba Hali and Wallace Gilberry are leading the team in sacks (3.5 a piece), and Mike Brown, Brandon Flowers, and Andy Studebaker all have 2 INTs a piece. Attention fantasy owners: Knowshon and Marshall are good options this week.      

Special Teams  

Broncos - Special teams is doing well as of late. Matt Prater is on his game, and we have two rookies (Darcel McBath and David Burton) leading the team in special teams’ tackles. It’s in the losses that special teams has given up touchdowns or big plays that lead to TDs. Eddie Royal will feel the weight on his shoulders as he tries to return punts from one of the best in the league.

Chiefs-  Punter Dustin Colquitt allows the Chiefs to win the field position game quite often. Of his 69 punts this year, 31 have landed inside the 20 and 6 have landed inside the 10. It looks like the Broncos’ offense could have many long fields ahead of them. Ryan Succop, the very last player taken in the ’09 draft, is a solid kicker except when he kicks from beyond 50. Jamaal Charles has returned a kick for a touchdown this year. 

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels probably won’t be caught cursing his team out, but he knows the Chiefs can’t be taken lightly. They’ve already beaten the Steelers, and they went into overtime against the Cowboys. McD knows Cassel’s weak spots and he knows how to prepare his team. This could be the most lopsided game of the season.   

Chiefs- Like McD, Todd Haley is new to his team after seeing success last year as the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl bound Arizona Cardinals. Unlike McD, however, Haley has experienced a lot of tough times. At 3-8, look for Haley to forego the conservative play calling. He knows being effective on offense requires a fast pace against Denver’s always revolving defensive door.   

 Go Broncos!

It’s round #2 for the Broncos and Chiefs (2-10). As we are often times forced to remember, the Broncos lost their first game of the season in Kansas City to a previously winless Chiefs team. The Chiefs then went on to lose 7 in a row before picking up a win last week against the Raiders. The Broncos are out for revenge, and they want to secure their first place standing in the AFC West. The Broncos have won their last 3 consecutive road games, but lost their last home game to the 3-8 Raiders. The Broncos have won their last 7 home games against the Chiefs. Both teams are full of rookies, and there are quite a few similarities between Jay Cutler and Chiefs’ QB Tyler Thigpen. I would be very disappointed if the Broncos lost this one, but I wouldn’t be surprised with the way the team has played this season. My Prediction: Broncos 36 Chiefs 21. 

Offense

Broncos - The Broncos offense gave up 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles in their week 4 loss. Since then, Cutler has minimized his turnovers, and the running game has been more of a threat. Cutler has plenty of options in the air, and Peyton Hillis will be starting in the backfield. Selvin Young returns to action this week, so he will be sharing carries with Hillis. These two guys could potentially have a big game against the Chiefs run defense which is ranked 31st in the league. Cutler is a barometer for this team. When he throws the ball away and gets down on himself, the rest of the offense takes a big hit. In the team’s 7 wins, Cutler averaged 2 TDs and almost 310 yards passing. In their 5 losses, Cutler averaged 2 turnovers and 246 yards passing.                

Chiefs- Denver’s defense will meet a new Chiefs offense. If you thought they looked good back in week 4, take a look at them now. Out with Damon Huard and in with Tyler Thigpen. Thiggy can run just as well as Cutler, and he is proving himself to be the Chiefs QB of the future. In fact, he leads all NFL QBs in rushing yards. Larry Johnson had almost 200 yards rushing and 2 TDs in week 4. When these two teams last played, the Chiefs relied on the run, and only passed on third downs. Now, the Chiefs are running a spread offense and giving Thigpen more chances to throw the ball. Tony Gonzalez has been on fire lately with over 100 yards receiving in the last two games. This team found gaps in the Broncos defense last time, and they are very capable of doing that again.  

Defense

Broncos - Creating turnovers helped this team win in New York, and that’s exactly what this defense needs to do for the rest of the season. Nate Webster is back in the lineup and there’s a possibility of D.J. Williams returning to action. In week 4 the Broncos were still testing their 3-4 alignment which allowed Larry Johnson to go off. Now, they are content with sticking to the 4-3 formation. Johnson does have a tendency to fumble the ball, so this defense needs to take advantage of his carelessness. The secondary has their work cut out for them with Gonzalez, Dwayne Bowe, and Mark Bradley looking for open slots down field. As defensive players start to return from injuries, there will be more leadership on the field which will hopefully be enough to provide a nice springboard into the playoffs.    

Chiefs - The Chiefs are just as bad as the Broncos are on defense. The Chiefs are a young team. Rookies Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr will be responsible for stopping the Broncos high powered passing offense. They do have veteran safeties, Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page helping them out, but it has been the pass rush defense (or lack thereof) that has hurt the Chiefs. They have the lowest sack total in the league (6), so the Broncos offensive line should have a great day. This team is last in total defense, but they can create turnovers. They are tied for the lead with 13 forced fumbles recovered.           

Special Teams  

Broncos - This unit is back on track. Matt Prater connected on both of his field goals last week. Punt coverage has been exceptional, but there are still some gaps in kickoff coverage. Eddie Royal has the potential for some big run backs setting the Broncos up in great field position.

Chiefs- Dantrell Savage leads the Chiefs in returns. His long for the season is 59 yards, and he has not returned any kicks for a touchdown. Connor Barth replaced Nick Novak in kicking field goals. Novak was 6 for 10 on the season, and Novak is 8 for 8.

Coaching

Broncos - Mike Shanahan will not let his team lose at home to one of the worst teams in the league. The coaching staff did a great job of calling aggressive plays on offense and defense against the Jets. When the team is executing, and the play calling throws other teams off balance, this coaching staff looks brilliant.  

Raiders - Herm Edwards does not deserve to keep his job. His play calling abilities go down the drain as the game wears on. He gets too conservative if he has the lead, and he doesn’t utilize his stars the way he should. Edwards and Shanahan have coached against each other for many years, but give the edge to the Broncos this time around.