Sunday Night Football will give football fans the game of the season when the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Mile High to take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Kansas City is coming into this game with a sterling 9-0 record while Denver is sporting an impressive 8-1 record with their only loss coming against a tough Andrew Luck-led Colts team on the road.
There has been much ado about this Chiefs team and their stellar defense, and while I don’t think all that is for nothing I don’t think that they are the second coming of such historic defenses as the ‘85 Chicago Bears or the ‘76 Pittsburgh Steelers “Steel Curtain” as some make them out to be. They are good, don’t get me wrong. Tamba Hali and Dontari Poe are bad, bad dudes and any O-Line should definitely respect this Kansas City defense.
According to stats compiled by ESPN.com, the Chiefs have scored 215 points this season. Ninety-six of those points have come from defensive scores, special teams touchdowns and Ryan Succop field goals. Those 96 points are very impressive and they show how lethal this defense can be if you give it chances. However, if your defense is scoring 45 percent you either have a prolific offense or you’re having some issues, and given that the Chiefs only average 23.9 points per game, one tends to side with the latter.
The problem with this Chiefs team is its offense. It went from pitiful in the 2012 season when the Chiefs went 2-14 to merely ‘meh’ in 2013. While adding former San Francisco QB Alex Smith and offensive guru Andy Reid as their head coach helped superstar running back Jamaal Charles and a stable of serviceable wide receivers, dreams of a high-powered offense have not yet come to fruition in Kansas City.
Even with all of that in consideration the Chiefs will be able to walk into Mile High Stadium as the only team in the NFL with an undefeated record. Since their defense has done what it takes to carry their team this far, who says that this half and half formula won’t carry them all the way to Kansas City’s second Super Bowl victory? Well, while this line of thinking is very apt, only one problem arises: they haven’t played anybody!
When your two best wins have come against two teams that are in a battle for the No. 1 spot of the worst division in the NFL, your competition has been, for lack of a better word, pathetic. Not one of their opponents has a winning record and not one has a consistent and competent quarterback. The only possible exception is New York’s Eli Manning; however, the Giants have been atrocious this year.
The Broncos, on the other hand, have been the paragon for offensive greatness. All roads lead from veteran, stud quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is responsible for 33 passing touchdowns and over 3,000 passing yards throughout the season. Denver also produces a solid running game from Knowshon Moreno that leads to a more balanced attack that keeps defenses honest.
While Manning is impressive all on his own and has shown that he has the ability to carry teams to the postseason, this Denver team has numerous weapons to catch the ball with. Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and tight end Julius Thomas have been a major part of getting this offense clicking. These guys combine for 27 touchdowns with nine a piece.
This Denver defense, which has been significantly less stingy than their counterparts in Kansas City, does have some weapons that could make Alex Smith and company slightly uncomfortable. Von Miller, Pro Bowl linebacker who has played only 3 games this season after serving a suspension, has racked up 11 tackles, 2 sacks and has forced a fumble. Linebacker Danny Trevathan leads the team in 49 tackles and three interceptions.
It certainly should be a good one Sunday night. Too many questions linger for this untested Chiefs team facing their battle worn division rival. Those questions could lead to Kansas City saying goodbye to the ranks of the undefeated. Only time will tell.
