The Kansas City Chiefs know they must score a lot more than they did in week one to have a chance against the Denver Broncos in week two. Can they slow down Denver’s offense, though?
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Sunday, September 14th – 4:25 PM ET
Odds: Denver -14
Why The Chiefs Will Cover
They are playing an opponent that has a lot of issues on offense. It’s weird to say that about Denver, but it’s not really an argument, at least to a point. Denver’s offense didn’t play poorly against Indianapolis last Sunday night, not for a full game. However, the Broncos were bad for one of the two halves. They played a great first half but did not show up for most of the second half. Here’s what Denver must face on offense: First, Wes Welker is out of the lineup, something that might apply not just to the first four games of the season, due to a suspension, but for the rest of the season due to Welker’s constant concussions. Welker gave Denver that possession receiver in a third and six or third and five, and without him, the Broncos could suffer. They could have used Welker in the second half against the Colts in week one. Denver’s receivers who did play last Sunday dropped more than half a dozen passes from Peyton Manning, who finished with 14 incompletions for reasons that had little to do with his own accuracy. Peyton put the ball on the money to his receivers, but he didn’t get help. If Denver can’t fix this problem or get more from its running game, the Broncos could be contained by the Chiefs. Kansas City’s offense played well in the second meeting between the two teams last season (in Kansas City). If the Chiefs regain their footing on offense and can slow down the Broncos’ offense just enough, they can win this game outright.
Why The Broncos Will Cover
They are the better team, playing at home. It’s not that complicated. The Chiefs want to play better on offense, but are they in a position to be able to do so? Few offenses looked worse in week one than the Chiefs’ broken-down machine. Kansas City scored 44 points in its previous NFL game that counted, the wild card loss to the Indianapolis Colts in January. Alex Smith looked like an all-pro quarterback in that game. The Chiefs’ offense looked like it could compete with any other offense in pro football.
Against the Tennessee Titans, that all went out the window. Smith was 19 of 35 for only 202 passing yards with three interceptions, a terrible performance. Kansas City rushed for only 67 yards, as Jamaal Charles was completely bottled up by Tennessee’s defense. The Chiefs didn’t score their first touchdown of the day until the fourth quarter, when the game was already out of reach. Kansas City also held the ball for little more than 22 minutes. The Chiefs were 1 of 12 in terms of converting third downs. This offense is not ready to stay close to the Broncos in Denver.
Outlook
If the Chiefs don’t become a completely different team compared to the one that showed up against Tennessee, they’re going to get blasted. The Chiefs might be a little better than last week, but they won’t be that completely different team they need to be. Denver will win and cover.
Pick: Broncos -14
