The Denver Broncos will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a game played at Empower Field on Sunday and the headline will talk mostly about the fact that the Broncos have lost 16 consecutive games to the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, there will be an underlying storyline in this game that won't be pushed to the forefront until after the result is determined. Can the Broncos finally end the losing streak to the Chiefs? And if they can't, what would it mean for the rest of this season?
The Broncos were able to win their second game of the season last week by defeating the Green Bay Packers. Though the Broncos are still just 2-5 on the season and sit at the bottom of the AFC West, winning can be quite the deodorant.
So what would a win over the hated Chiefs, something the Broncos haven't done since 2015, do for the team?
Just two days after the game, the NFL trade deadline hits. The Broncos have been one of the most talked-about teams in relation to this year's deadline and thoughts of a complete fire sale are out there.
But a 3-5 Broncos team, one that just knocked off the Chiefs, seems a lot different, doesn't it? I believe that a win would drastically change the team's approach when it comes to the trade deadline. Names like Patrick Surtain, Justin Simmons, Garett Bolles and Josey Jewell would likely come off the table as the Broncos would turn their attention to making something much more out of this season.
And it can happen.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were 2-6 last season before turning things around, finishing 9-8 and making it to the divisional round of the playoffs. Though they fell short of the postseason, the Detroit Lions had a similar turnaround last season, finishing 9-8 despite being 1-6 at one point in the season.
The Broncos didn't trade for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton just to hold a fire sale and while some drastic changes could still be necessary, particularly if the team loses to the Chiefs and falls to 2-6, the Broncos are still going to be a team that goes for it this year if they can win this game.
I believe that the Broncos will trade a wide receiver at the trade deadline — whether it be Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton — no matter what. But a win over the Chiefs on Sunday could easily take every other player off of the table.
A loss, dropping the team to 2-6, would likely leave the Broncos very much open for business before the cutoff on Halloween.
Sunday's Broncos-Chiefs game could have quite a bit riding on it.