The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos renew their AFC West rivalry at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, and Kansas City head coach Andy Reid expects both sides to make adjustments following the Chiefs’ 27-23 victory in Denver just four weeks ago.
“They know us and we kind of know them,” Reid said. “Both sides will have their wrinkles that are put in and so there are adjustments to be made there. I think just the fact you know each other is probably the biggest challenge.”
The Broncos’ growing familiarity with the Chiefs also poses another test for young quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He makes his ninth career start on Sunday, and it will be his third meeting with the Broncos.
“You always get a little bit more familiar with a defense whenever you play them a lot,” Mahomes said about meeting the Broncos again. “Especially being able to play them this last game they threw a ton of stuff at me, a ton of different blitzes and coverages and stuff. Being able to look at the tape and see what mistakes I made as well as the things I did well is going to be something that I can kind of take going into this next game.”
Denver head coach Vance Joseph said both teams played well earlier this month. Denver held the Chiefs to their lowest point total of the season and Mahomes to his second-lowest passing yards total.
“But what we did last time won’t be good enough to win this game,” Joseph said. “I’m assuming Coach Reid is saying to his team what they did last time won’t be good enough. But he won the football game. So for us, what we did last time is not good enough. We have to play better, have a better plan and obviously make more plays than we made the first time.”
The Broncos contained Mahomes for three quarters in their last matchup, taking a 20-13 lead into the final 15 minutes. But Mahomes ripped through the Broncos for 153 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-16 passing in the fourth-quarter rally.
Joseph said there’s no counter for the type of playmaker Mahomes has become this early in his career.
“You’re plan has to be to trap and contain him and keep him where you want him to be,” Joseph said. “But you have no plan for when he breaks the pocket. That’s just going to be effort and that’s going to be want-to. He’s outrun most of our big guys and he’s shaken off most of our pass rushers. It’s no exact plan when he breaks the pocket but to grind and try to get him on the ground as quick as possible.”
Reid says it’s rare for a quarterback with the experience of Mahomes to have the wherewithal to keep his wits about him when plays break down and be so effective out of the pocket.
“To have that ability to keep your eyes down the field when you are outside the pocket is a big thing,” Reid said. “He does a lot of that naturally. Keeping his eyes focused down the field and being able to throw with accuracy is a gift.”
Joseph agrees.
“It’s very rare,” he said. “Most of your young quarterbacks when they break the pocket, bad things happen. But with him, his eyes are down field, he’s not looking to run. He’s looking to throw the ball down field. He understands the pressures of when he breaks the pocket he can do damage.
The Chiefs carry a six-game winning streak over the Broncos into this matchup, with Mahomes under center for the last two victories. The Chiefs also own a six-game winning streak against AFC West opponents, winning 18 of their last 19 games in the division. The young quarterback already understands the importance of winning games in the division.
“I feel like every game against an AFC West opponent is a tight one,” Mahomes said. “It’s always something that comes down to the end of the game. I feel like with Coach Reid, he’s just prepared us for every situation and we’ve gotten lucky enough to come out on top of most of those games and hopefully we can keep that trend going.”
SERIES HISTORY: 117th regular-season meeting. Chiefs lead series, 62-54. The Chiefs own a six-game winning streak against the Broncos, including their 27-23 win at Denver in Week 4. Kansas City’s winning streak against Denver started with a 29-13 win at Denver in Week 10 of the 2015 season, the same game in which quarterback Peyton Manning took over as the league’s all-time career passing yards leader and was later benched after throwing four interceptions.
