An old-school AFC West rivalry game gets the national stage on Sunday night, as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos. Oddsmakers list the Chiefs as 14-point home favorites, with an over/under of 51 points.
The Chiefs are doing their best to keep the pressure on Pittsburgh in hopes of stealing the No. 1 seed in the AFC over the final month of the season. Since losing to the Raiders, Kansas City has rattled off six straight wins, including last week’s 27-24 victory over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. At 10-1, the Chiefs can clinch the AFC West with a win and a Las Vegas loss, but they also have their sights set on the top seed in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Broncos reached a new low last week when they had to play without a true quarterback in their 31-3 loss to the Saints, with their entire quarterback room out in COVID-19 protocol. It was a disappointment and a letdown, especially for a team that pulled off a surprising win over the Dolphins the previous week. At 4-7, it would take a minor miracle for the Broncos to make some noise in the playoff hunt coming down the stretch.
Back in the Saddle
Fortunately for the Broncos, their quarterbacks are back on the active roster this week, meaning Drew Lock will get the start under center. Lock has had a topsy-turvy sophomore campaign; in his last six games, he’s thrown 11 interceptions and been wildly inconsistent. The Denver rushing attack hasn’t been much help, but there’s still little excuse for Lock completing just 55.6% of his passes this year.
The task doesn’t get any easier against the Kansas City defense. Despite their offense carrying them, the Chiefs have given up 20 points or fewer in seven of their 11 games this season. While things are trending in the wrong direction while giving up close to 29 points per game over their last three games, the Chiefs still won all of those games and have done an excellent job of stopping the run and making teams one-dimensional.
Mahomes’ MVP Campaign
For the Kansas City offense, it’s been business as usual under Patrick Mahomes. The former MVP has thrown 30 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season while also improving his completion percentage from the past two seasons. Things that most would consider extraordinary are just par for the course with Mahomes. Even with an inconsistent rushing attack, the Chiefs are averaging more than 31 points per game this year, second in the league being only Green Bay.
For what it’s worth, the Denver defense put up some resistance against New Orleans last week, especially for a team that got nothing from its offense. They also limited the Dolphins to just 13 points the previous week. However, five of Denver’s last six opponents have scored at least 30 points, which isn’t a promising trend heading into a game against the Chiefs.
Runaway Rivalry
This rivalry has run away from the Broncos in recent years. After winning seven straight over Kansas City during the Peyton Manning era, the Chiefs have now won 10 straight, including three in a row by margins of at least 20 points. Bet on that trend continuing with the Chiefs covering the 14-point spread at home.
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