5 biggest hurdles the Broncos face in getting past the Chiefs
The Denver Broncos are stuck in a similar predicament to what the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins once faced as members of the AFC East with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots. They are in the same division as a budding dynasty — the Kansas City Chiefs — who just won their second Super Bowl title since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 just seven years ago.
Although the Broncos have three Lombardi Trophies to boast of in their own right, the Chiefs have established themselves as the truly elite franchise in the NFL right now. Even after the Tyreek Hill trade seemingly took away their most dynamic piece offensively. Even with former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire looking more and more like a potential bust. Even with their best corner — Charvarius Ward — bolting in free agency for the 49ers, and Tyrann Mathieu leaving for the Saints.
The 2022 season still belonged to the Chiefs. They are Super Bowl LVII champions, and heading into the 2023 season, why should they be considered anything but favorites to do it all again? The Broncos can’t just sit back with their tail between their legs. They’ve got some significant hurdles to overcome. Let’s take a look at the top five.
5 hurdles the Denver Broncos face with the Kansas City Chiefs
1. Andy Reid is not going anywhere, anytime soon
Andy Reid is one of the best head coaches in the NFL, but he’s not just that — he’s on the forefront of making a defense’s life miserable as an offensive play-caller, play designer, and game manager. Reid took Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to school in the Super Bowl, even considering the fact that Patrick Mahomes was playing in the game with apparent pain in his ankle.
The Chiefs scored a whopping 38 points in the Super Bowl, and it didn’t seem like the Eagles were particularly close at any given time of really putting up much of a defense. Yes, the Chiefs got a defensive score, but they also had 31 points otherwise, and missed a field goal.
Reid is the architect of the offense. He leads one of the most well-oiled machines in pro sports. It seems like it takes your team’s best possible effort, plus the Chiefs making mistakes, plus some luck on top of it all, to even beat this team. That’s just the way this team is. They are well-coached in every phase.
Reid’s not hanging it up anytime soon, so his presence as the head coach in Kansas City remains one of the primary hurdles to overcome.