Off-field issues distract Broncos in Chiefs week
The glow of snapping a four-game losing streak didn’t last long for the 3-4 Denver Broncos, who enter Sunday’s key AFC West showdown at Kansas City dealing with troublesome off-the-field issues.
First, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was the subject of trade rumors reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported several teams had contacted Denver regarding the receiver’s availability, a subject he didn’t avoid Monday.
“I saw a couple of them. It’s football, it’s a business,” Thomas said. “That’s what happens. It’s happened before. I never think it would happen to me, but I’m just like everybody else. I’m an athlete and it happens once you get older.”
Thomas is the longest-tenured player on the roster and the team’s second-leading receiver, but the recent play of rookie Courtland Sutton has possibly signaled the end of the Thomas era in Denver. The trade rumors took a backseat to the issues surrounding quarterback Chad Kelly, who was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of criminal trespass. A day later the Broncos released Kelly, who WAS the last pick in the 2017 draft. The incident stemmed from a Halloween party hosted by linebacker Von Miller on Monday night. Kelly was asked to leave the party and entered the Englewood, Colo., home of a couple and sat on the couch next to the woman.
The man chased Kelly out of the house and later identified him as the intruder, according to an affidavit filed in Arapahoe County Court. Kelly appeared in court Wednesday morning, around the time the Broncos announced he was released. Kelly was serving as Case Keenum’s backup, appeared in one game but did not throw a pass. Kevin Hogan, claimed on waivers from Washington on Sept. 2, will move up on the depth chart. The lingering cloud of issues could make it tough for the team to focus on the 6-1 Chiefs, who are rolling behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He led Kansas City to a 27-23 win in Denver in Week 4.
SERIES HISTORY: 117th regular-season meeting. Chiefs elad series, 62-54. The Chiefs have dominated the last three years. Kansas City is on a six-game winning streak against Denver, which earned its last win against the Chiefs on Sept. 17, 2015 with Peyton Manning at quarterback. The Chiefs 38-19 overall at home against the Broncos. Denver won the only playoff matchup between the teams, 14-10, on its way to winning Super Bowl XXXII.
