Coming off of a 24-7 win over the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs are 6-0 and one of just two undefeated teams left in the NFL. The Denver Broncos, an AFC West rival of the Chiefs, is the only other team with an unblemished record so far this season.
But with an easy schedule over the next three weeks, the Chiefs should advance to 9-0 entering their bye week and will end up being the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team.
The Chiefs have two home games against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, followed by a trip to Buffalo to face the Bills before entering their bye week. The combined record of those three teams is 7-11, with the Browns having the best record at 3-3.
However, the Broncos have the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers on their slate before facing the the Chiefs in Denver in Week 11. Those squads have an 8-9 combined record, including the AFC South division leading Colts and their 4-2 record.
The Broncos have also been tested in their last two games. The Dallas Cowboys took Peyton Manning and company to the wire in a 51-48 win for the Broncos. Then Denver failed to cover a measly 17-point spread against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game where the Broncos looked sluggish against the league’s worst team.
Furthermore, the Broncos offense is obviously predicated on Manning’s arm. Denver currently leads the league in passing with over 360 yards through the air per game.
So if both the Chiefs and Broncos go 9-0 and face each other in Week 11, the Chiefs should have the edge as they have the league’s best pass defense. Kansas City allows the third-fewest passing yards in the NFL. Only the Seattle Seahawks and Texans allow fewer. And the main reason the Texans allow fewer is that teams usually get ahead early against Houston and don’t have to pass the ball.
The Chiefs also lead the NFL with a whopping 31 sacks, nine more than the Baltimore Ravens, who rank second in that category. That mark includes the 10-sack performance the Chiefs had last week against the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have yet to face an elite pass rushing team. The Broncos have only allowed five sacks on the season, a league best, but have only faced two teams ranked in the top 10 in sacks in the NFL.
Secondly, the Chiefs rank first in the NFL with 58 passes defended and 10 interceptions. So you have to think that the Chiefs’ elite secondary, which includes cornerback Brandon Flowers and safety Eric Berry, will cause problems for Manning that he has yet to see this season.
Finally, the Chiefs will simply be able to keep the ball away from Manning and the prolific Broncos offense. Kansas City ranks seventh in the NFL in time of possession, averaging 32:00 per game.
Kansas City has a much easier road to 9-0, especially with its next two games being in Arrowhead Stadium, which just set the Guinness World Record for loudest outdoor crowd at a stadium.
Expect the Chiefs to be the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL, marking one of the greatest and most rapid turnarounds in league history.
Sean Frye is a senior in electronic journalism. Please send all comments to sports@kstatecollegian.com.
