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!

Broncos:

• The Broncos are most dangerous when they run the ball.
• The team goes back to work today.
• The rookie class has been quiet this year.  
• Brandon Stokley is happy with his role in McD’s system.
• Matt Prater was pretty much the man of the hour on Thanksgiving night.
• Brian Dawkins changes things on defense.
• Week 13: State of the Denver Broncos

AFC West:

• Is Todd Haley capable of calling plays for the Chiefs?
• A short breakdown of what’s wrong with the Raiders.
• Chris Chambers has a stalker. 

Random:

• The 10 worst teeth in sports. It was bound to happen sometime.
• Drew Brees a lock in for MVP? I think so after last night’s performance.
• Prince - a Vikings fan.
• Just in time for the Christmas season? 
• Filling a void at Notre Dame.
• Week 12 in the NFL provided a lot of lessons.
• According to Hines Ward, Big Ben is a sissy.
• An $82,500 fine can’t keep Serena Williams from having fun.
• The pressure is building for Jay Cutler in Chicago.
• I’ve been waiting for this guy to be mic’d up!

The last time the Broncos played the Chargers in Denver, they lost 41-3. I was at that massacre and I basically witnessed a funeral procession as fans left the stadium at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Remembering that game and the game in December where Philip Rivers talked a little trash to Jay Cutler has got to have the Broncos focused on Sunday’s game. Because of last year’s history between the two teams, I’m sure we’ll see an explosive Broncos offense and a three and out defense this Sunday. My prediction: Broncos - 31 Chargers – 20.

Offense

Broncos – The Broncos will face a much tougher defense this week. The big story is Brandon Marshall’s return. I suspect that the Raiders were playing the run last week, and that’s one of the reasons why Eddie Royal had such a big game. So, things should open up for the Broncos’ running attack because of Brandon Marshall’s return and the Chargers concern over Royal. Selvin Young and Andre Hall need to find their holes and continue to run up field just like they did against Oakland. The tight ends need to have sure hands because they Raiders defense will undoubtedly be focused on Marshall and Royal. Thus, they make great big targets for Cutler. Converting in the red zone is always a concern with this team, so if they avoid those red zone penalties and constantly put seven on the scoreboard, then the team should get a comfortable lead early on in the game.  

Chargers - They’ve got an offensive powerhouse. I hate to say this, but Philip Rivers is a talented QB. He’s got plenty of targets in Vincent Jackson, Chris Chambers, and Antonio Gates. Add in Ladanian Tomlinson and now you see why they are a top Super Bowl contender. Vincent, Chambers, and Gates each had a TD last week, and Tomlinson carried the ball 21 times for 97 yards. Now, that’s a well-rounded offense. The Broncos defense has got their work cut out for them, and the Broncos offense has got to constantly put points on the board because even with a large lead, this Chargers team is capable of scoring a lot of points very quickly.

Defense

Broncos – Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, and the rest of the defense may have had a lot of nightmares this week as they prepared for this offense. There’s not much to say here except every single defensive player has got to be on top of his game. The Panthers won last weekend because of a big second half defensive play that they made. The ball was stripped from Antonio Gates and run straight into the endzone. If the Broncos’ defense can score once off of a Chargers mistake, then the game could really open up.

Chargers - Just as they have an all-star cast on offense, their defense isn’t too shabby either. They will miss Shawne Merriman for the rest of the season due to two torn knee ligaments. The Broncos, however, cannot relax in the least bit because they still have Quentin Jammer, Antoine Cason, and Shaun Phillips. This defense did show some gaps last weekend as the Panthers receivers had 23 catches for a combined 247 yards. No one can ignore the Panthers game winning drive into the endzone either. Again, the key to the Broncos’ offense is balance. If they can keep the Chargers guessing, then the defense will have some lapses.

Special Teams  

Broncos - Kickoff coverage was of concern last week because of Johnnie Lee Higgins’ 58-yard return on the first kick off. Darren Sproles had a big return (41 yards) last week, so the Broncos need to be aware of that. As long as there are no turnovers on special teams, I’ll be happy. The Broncos have to at least give Cutler and the rest of the offense a chance to score. Kicker Matt Prater performed well last week, but he didn’t have to kick in any high pressure situations. I’ll be fine if I don’t have to witness that.    

Chargers - The Chargers kicking game got a lot of practice last week. Mike Scifres was forced to punt five times and he landed the ball inside the 20 twice. Nate Kaeding made all of his extra points and the one field goal that he attempted. They looked solid on their kickoff coverage.

Coaching

Broncos – Mike Shanahan used his playbook to perfection last week. He kept the Raiders guessing, and he had them playing on their heels. He opened the game handing the ball off to receivers, and he even let the rookie receiver have his turn at QB. I’m sure the coaching staff has some more tricks up their sleeves for this Chargers team.

Chargers - Norv Turner’s play calling has been controversial in the past. He’s got a lot of pressure on him with this team because all of the pieces are in place for them to make the Super Bowl. He’s got the talent, and an injured AFC QB in Tom Brady. All signs point towards Tampa Bay, and if they don’t get there, then Turner will be to blame.