Broncos Crush Chiefs In Primetime: Five Observations

3. Red Zone Offense

Denver was dominant between the 20s, but couldn’t quite find ways to punch the ball into the end zone when they got into the red zone. The Chiefs are one of the league’s best teams defending against teams in the red zone, so that should come as no surprise, but the Broncos will need to make adjustments on that.

One large contributing factor to the red zone woes had to be the absence of Julius Thomas, if I can be Captain Obvious for a minute. The Broncos’ most potent weapon in the red zone was not playing in the game, and they struggled. It should have been expected, but the Broncos also have plenty of other players who can pick up the slack. The problem was, in this game, Peyton Manning was really off. Some have opined that he is playing hurt. I don’t know how much I buy into conspiracy, but it’s definitely possible. Manning hasn’t looked right since the Broncos got whooped in St. Louis. Time will tell.