Broncos Vs. Chiefs. 2nd Bye Week for Denver?

It would be easy to look at Denver’s last two games and next week’s game against a (2-1) Bucs team and see the makings of a trap game as Denver gets set to visit Arrowhead Stadium to face the struggling Chiefs. However, don’t count on it. With the Chargers sniffing for an opportunity to sneak back in the division race, it’s Denver’s job to keep the foot to the gas pedal and not stop. And a road win in the division isn’t always as easy as the Monday Night Massacre of the Raiders to start the season.

Quarterback:

Ok, this is probably all the reason you need to figure out why Denver will win this game. Jay Cutler Vs. Damon Huard. I mean Damon Huard couldn’t even seal the starting job from Yancy Thigpen…….Yancy who? Exactly. Well, while Huard is an upgrade over Thigpen, the matchup with Cutler isn’t even close. The only thing that prevents Jay Cutler from having a 300 yard, 3 TD, no INT game is a big early lead. If KC can’t move the ball against Denver, then Denver may have to get it’s running game cranked up, as they will have to do as December and January arrive.

Running Game:

Ok, you take a league leading offensive line, and a struggling defensive line,and what do you get? A genuine mismatch. And in case your eyes have been too fixated on Cutler, Marshall, Sheffler and Royal you may have lost track of Denver’s top 10 running game. If they can establish dominance in the next few weeks, as the team awaits Ryan Torrain “Train,” then as the season winds down, this team may become even more dominant. I look for Denver to rush for 150+ yards and have two touchdowns rushing. I’m thinking Pittman get’s one or both of those touchdowns, and possibly Andre Hall breaks loose for a score.

Passing Game:

Ok, so we have already assessed Denver’s decided quarterback advantage over the Chief’s. Oh, and briefly touched on the receiving weapons. So, what oils and makes this machine really operate? That would be Denver’s dominant offensive line, especially in the passing game, where they have allowed a league leading 1 sack through three games. Oh and want to know the really interesting thing about that one sack? It came on a play that Jay Cutler was never touched on that Ed Hochuli, “it’s an incomplete, no it’s a fumble, never mind it’s an incomplete” play. So, with Jared Allen in Minnesota, I’m looking for Jay Cutler to have time to feed all of his weapons. I believe that Eddie Royal will get close to 100 yards on Sunday for the first time since Oakland. And he will likely do it on a role out, long bomb type of play.

Defense:

The defense will look to be dominant against the Chiefs, getting the Denver hopeful excited. However, remember this is the Chiefs. But, 2+ turnovers forced, and holding Larry Johnson under 100 yards rushing is what to expect. While holding Damon Huard under 160 yards passing and 2 Int’s is likely. I think Denver’s linebacking corp is really good, but I just wonder if Webster is the right guy in the middle for this defense. When they refer to gap control, they are usually referring to Webster’s inability to play his gap, and when your middle linebacker misses gap assignments, that is usually the spring board for big plays, which has crippled this defense in the early going. Oh, and that pass rush better wake up. Because if Denver fails to pressure the likes of Damon Huard, i’m going to have trouble believing this team will be able to handle the top qb’s in the playoffs.

So, note to Slowik “You have Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, two of the games best corners, and Boss Bailey, one of the top 3 linebackers in the league at covering the tight end. You haven’t had much trouble stopping the run, and with big leads I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. But, the one area you must fix, or forever be demonized for, is putting together a creative blitz package. Blitzing 5, with our fast linebacking corp, and man to man quality corners should be very easy to get away with and be successful.

Your 3-2-6 defense may be the worst designed defense I have ever seen in the history of the NFL. You need to watch defense game plans of Monte Kiffin, Steve Spagnola and Mr. Johnson over at Philly. These coaches will show you how to operate a successful blitz package in this league. The irony?: You have the dominant corners, speed at linebackers that allow you to get away with it, even more so than those coaches. I’d hate for Shanahan to have to go to 4 Defensive Coordinators in 4 years, but that’s the way you are headed my friend. I hope this note reaches you sometime soon.”

Special Teams:

Well, Matt Prater has yet to miss, if he ever needs to use a miss, this would be the week, as we could probably afford it. But, don’t expect Denver to settle for too many field goals. Brett Kern can pick up first downs off of blocked punts, a skill we found out about during the pre season. I doubt we will need those heroics this game, but it’s nice to have that to fall back on. I think he’ll connect on a few nice kicks. Can the special teams cover and get some good returns? I look for Eddie Royal to have one good run back, and I think Denver will cover the kicks well in this one. But, if there were a way for a team to be in a game they shouldn’t, special teams is that way.

Prediction: This one is pretty easy. I’m predicting Denver 38-10. However, a late touchdown could give KC 17 points. You have to win road games in your division against teams you should beat to be in the elite class. So, as Denver stretches it’s record to 4-0, they look at T.B, Jax, and N.E. on their schedule coming up. An undefeated record after those three games very possible, and “Jay=MVP” signs might start sneaking into the stadium, and could anyone blame the fans for being so excited? Me neither.