{"id":120257,"date":"2025-11-16T04:49:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T04:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=120257"},"modified":"2025-11-16T04:49:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T04:49:39","slug":"chiefs-broncos-5-things-to-watch-in-week-11s-critical-afc-west-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=120257","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs-Broncos: 5 things to watch in Week 11\u2019s critical AFC West game"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Here are the key points in the matchup between Kansas City and Denver.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On Sunday afternoon, the (5-4)\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0will play the (8-2)\u00a0Denver Broncos\u00a0on Empower Field at Mile High. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time. Now in third place in the AFC West, the Chiefs will take on the division leaders in what will be a critical game in how the playoffs will shape up.<\/p>\n

The Broncos are coming off a grimy\u00a010-7 win\u00a0over the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders\u00a0last Thursday, while the Chiefs are coming off a bye. Before the week off, Kansas City\u00a0lost on the road 28-21\u00a0to the\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0\u2014 a stinging defeat that pushed the Chiefs out of the current AFC playoff picture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While Kansas City is having a down year by its own standards, Denver is in the best spot to win the AFC West it\u2019s been in for a decade. We can expect both teams to make their best efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here are five things to watch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1. The\u00a0Broncos<\/strong>\u2019\u00a0pass rush<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Part of a talented defense, the pass rush is on an all-time tear. With\u00a0an astonishing 46 sacks halfway through the season, Denver is headed toward breaking the NFL single-season record of 72 set by the 1985\u00a0Chicago Bears. This is not just a good unit \u2014 it is potentially an all-time unit.<\/p>\n

Edge rusher Nik Bonnito\u00a0leads the way with 9.5 sacks, followed by outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper with 7.5, defensive linemen Zach Allen with 6 and defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers with 4.5. Six other Broncos have more than one sack. Six more have at least half a sack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The unit wins quickly, disrupts passing lanes and frustrates opposing quarterbacks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For the Chiefs to find success, the offensive line must hold its own \u2014 but the Chiefs also need to find ways to quickly get the ball out of Mahomes\u2019 hands, allowing them to take advantage of the Broncos\u2019 aggressive nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2.\u00a0Keeping a bad offense bad<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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While Denver\u2019s defense is elite, the offense has been lackluster in recent weeks. The Chiefs should be able to exploit it. The Broncos\u00a0rank 17th in the league in points per game, averaging 23.5. The rushing attack has been fine \u2014 Denver\u00a0ranks ninth in the NFL with 128.6 rushing yards per game\u00a0\u2014 but over the past few weeks, the offense has had issues under center.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Bo Nix is having a decent season, but he has\u00a0thrown four interceptions in his last three games. In back-to-back weeks, the Broncos have\u00a0put up just 18 points\u00a0against the\u00a0Houston Texans\u00a0and 10 points versus the Raiders.<\/p>\n

Nix\u00a0ranks 27th in the NFL with an 85.7 passer rating, but he poses a threat as a runner, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Chiefs\u2019 defense has sometimes struggled this season. But on Sunday, they need to find a way to force a few turnovers so they can keep a bad offense down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3.\u00a0The Chiefs\u2019 tackle situation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons\u00a0returned to the Chiefs during the bye week after missing four for personal reasons.<\/p>\n

After a full week of practice, it appears that Simmons is poised to start the game. Given the prowess of the Broncos\u2019 pass rush, his presence will be a plus. Swing tackle Jaylon Moore held his own during while filling in for Simmons \u2014 but against the Bills, his limitations were exposed as he struggled against pass rushers like defensive end Joey Bosa.<\/p>\n

Before his hiatus, Simmons was on pace to be one of the league\u2019s best rookie offensive linemen. But he has not seen live snaps since Week 5 against the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars. He will be worth monitoring.<\/p>\n

The other offensive lineman to watch will be right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who suffered an ankle injury in Buffalo. In that game, Wanya Morris came in to take his place.<\/p>\n

Taylor\u00a0was a full participant in practice all week and had no injury designation on Friday\u2019s injury report, but given his past injury issues \u2014 as well as Simmons\u2019 unknown readiness to play again \u2014 Moore must be ready to play at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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4.\u00a0Attacking the Broncos with speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Running the ball is often a great method to stifle pass rushers, but the Broncos have a top-10 run defense \u2014 and the Chiefs will once again\u00a0be without starting running back Isiah Pacheco (Knee)<\/a>. To keep the Broncos honest, the Chiefs may look to attack the perimeters and the middle of the field with the offense\u2019s collective speed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle)\u00a0was a late addition to the injury report on Thursday, but he will be full go for the game. This week, his ability to stretch the defense will be important: he could be a big factor in the jet-sweep game as well as keeping Denver\u2019s edge rushers at bay with the threat of reverse looks and other plays designed to break outside contain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Chiefs\u2019 offense is at its best when plays are hitting over the middle of the field, so watch for the unit to attack that area of the field with speed. This week, the coaches need to create quick-passing looks for quarterback Patrick Mahomes that will deploy playmakers between the hashmarks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5.\u00a0Andy Reid after a bye<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It\u2019s a tale as old as time: Chiefs\u2019 head coach Andy Reid, the league\u2019s best offensive mind, had two weeks to plot and plan for putting up points against the best defense in the league.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With a career 22-4 record after the bye week (and a 6-1 record with Patrick Mahomes), Reid\u2019s squad will need a strong game plan to win the game \u2014 and get Kansas City\u2019s season back on track.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are the key points in the matchup between Kansas City and Denver. On Sunday afternoon, the (5-4)\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0will play the (8-2)\u00a0Denver Broncos\u00a0on Empower Field at… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nChiefs-Broncos: 5 things to watch in Week 11\u2019s critical AFC West game - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=120257\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chiefs-Broncos: 5 things to watch in Week 11\u2019s critical AFC West game - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here are the key points in the matchup between Kansas City and Denver. 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