Embed from Getty Images
For the final time in the 2022 regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs will be hosting a division rival at Arrowhead Stadium. The Denver Broncos will look to end their losing streak against the Chiefs, once again. Kansas City has now won 14 consecutive games against this particular opponent. Earlier this season, the game was out of hand early, as the Chiefs jumped out to a 27-0 lead over the Broncos in Denver. Yet, the Broncos made it tight at the end, only losing by six points.
Since that meeting, Kansas City has gone 2-0 in the following games. Whereas with the Broncos, Denver has gone 1-1. That lone loss resulted in the firing of head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett lasted just 15 games in his first season as Denver head coach. As a result, the Broncos may be looking to come out with guns blazing, while looking to prove a point against a division rival. Kansas City must come out with the same energy and edge that they had last week, because of that.
Therefore, there are a few keys that the Chiefs should look towards to stay on top of the Broncos this week. We have identified four items that Kansas City should use to their advantage. Mainly, their attack and mantra should be to keep it simple this week. Which keys should the Chiefs cling to on Sunday? Let's kick it off.
Keep It Balanced
There are a couple of reasons as to why the Chiefs should keep it balanced on offense this week. For starters, Andy Reid should continue to feed the duo of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon as much as possible. This allows both rushers to keep the momentum that they have built recently, while carrying that into the postseason. Meanwhile, it also attacks the weaker part of the gritty Broncos defense. With Denver being more stout against the pass, the Chiefs should look to keep the run and pass attempts somewhat split, in order to jump on the Broncos early.
We would love to see a monster statistical day from Patrick Mahomes. That is especially true, when he is so close to breaking more NFL single-season records. Though, the goal of staying balanced could keep the Broncos in constant chase mode in this contest. If that were to happen and Kansas City gains a commanding lead early, it forces Russell Wilson to be exceptional through the air, something he has not done at all this season.
Bring The House After Wilson
Speaking of Wilson, the Chiefs should not hesitate to blitz him in heavy fashion on Sunday. We know that Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can design some unique blitz packages. At the same time, the Chiefs are already at 45 sacks this season. That is 14 more than they finished with last season. To boot, that figure of 45 sacks is tied for the most sacks that they have had under Spagnuolo, which occurred in 2019.
Beyond the Chiefs success as a pass rush, the Broncos have been equally miserable in attempting to prevent sacks as an offense. Wilson is indeed the quarterback that has been sacked the most this season. Entering this weekend, his 49 sacks taken are one more than Justin Fields (48 sacks taken) and five more than Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones (44 sacks taken).
But for those that do not remember, Wilson has missed two games this season, due to injury. Denver has actually allowed 57 sacks as a team. That leads the league, sitting with one more sack allowed than the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed 56 sacks this season. Overall, the mix of Wilson's late timing and struggling to read defenses, along with the issues of the Broncos offensive line, should lead to heavy blitzing by the Chiefs.
Mix It Up With Jeudy
As much as it has been a dire season for the Broncos offense, one receiver is having a career-best type of season. Jerry Jeudy has already set new single-season career highs in receptions (55) and receiving touchdowns (six). Moreover, he needs just 77 receiving yards over the last two games to set a new career high in receiving yards for a single season.
Jeudy has been on a hot stretch during the last month or so. In his last four games, he has registered 25 receptions, 331 receiving yards, 13.24 yards per reception and three receiving touchdowns. Obviously, one of those strong performances came in the first meeting against the Chiefs. Jeudy finished with eight receptions for 73 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns against Kansas City earlier this year.
To help avoid that, the Chiefs must be willing to mix up their coverages and looks against Jeudy. Leaving him on an island one-on-one will not cut it for all four quarters. His blend of savvy route running, sharp cuts, separation and long speed can simply beat man coverage too much, if he continues to see the same looks. Kansas City may look to shade a safety to his side of the field. Or, the Chiefs could look to double Jeudy, while offering some split zone looks as well.
Get Cheap Yards Through The Air
Embed from Getty Images
As we mentioned earlier, the Broncos are much more stiff as a pass defense. Mahomes did some good things in the first matchup against Denver. However, his uncharacteristic interceptions let the Broncos crawl back into the game. Mahomes took complete ownership of that after that narrow victory. Surely, we know how accurate and airtight he can be. There is a chance to beat this Broncos defense with a different approach, though.
That approach would be, looking to get cheap yards off of the quick or underneath passing game. We have seen Coach Reid dial up the most effective screen passes for years on end. On the other hand, McKinnon and Pacheco have really found their groove as pass catchers late in the season. You could also look to certain pass catchers to best defenders with their elite yards after catch ability.
Names like Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster are smart enough and comfortable enough to take a five-yard pass and work their magic for extra yards in the open field. Finally, the unique pop passes at or behind the line of scrimmage are especially dangerous with names like Kadarius Toney or Skyy Moore. Can the Chiefs commit to that attack at times on Sunday?
Be on the lookout for our FPC Chiefs recap and reaction articles following Sunday's game. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment