PLAYER NOTES
–LB Dee Ford did not practice Thursday after suffering a groin strain during the team’s 38-27 win against San Francisco in Week 3. Head coach Andy Reid believes the injury will only keep Ford out for a few days but it’s unclear how it impacts his availability for the team’s game at Denver Monday night.
–S Eric Berry (sore heel) did not practice Thursday and hasn’t practiced with the team since Aug. 11. Reid says he continues to make progress but offered no timeline for his potential return.
–LB Justin Houston did not practice on Thursday for personal reasons and it is not injury related. The team expects him to play Monday against Denver.
–LB Terrance Smith did not practice Thursday due to a shin contusion, but expects to return to action quickly.
–WR Chris Conley practiced with no restrictions Thursday after sustaining a right ankle injury in Week 3 against San Francisco. Conley returned to the game and caught two passes for 13 yards including a 4-yard touchdown.
–LB Ben Niemann practiced in full Thursday and appears in line to return for his first action since going down with a hamstring injury during Week 1.
–K Harrison Butker is just 2-of-2 on field-goal tries this season after setting a franchise record for field goals last season. But his 16-of-16 on extra points ranks tied for the third-most extra points through the first three games of the season since at least 1950. Only two Dallas kickers – Danny Villanueva with 17 in 1966 and Mike Clark with 18 in 1968 — made more extra points in the first three games of the season than Butker.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: LB Breeland Speaks. The second-round draft pick has played fewer than 20 percent of the team’s defensive snaps thus far this season. But the combination of Dee Ford’s groin injury and the high altitude in Denver means the Chiefs need Speaks to display the edge-rush skills they believe he possesses.
GAME PLAN: The Chiefs have a simple offensive game plan each week – score early and score often. The Chiefs hope to deploy a more consistent offensive attack against Denver after scoring five touchdowns in the first half last week against San Francisco but mustering just three points in the second half. Look for QB Patrick Mahomes to attack all parts of the field with his array of targets. The Chiefs will look to use Denver’s defensive aggression against them with a lot of misdirection and use of the screen passing game.
Kansas City wants to see its defense end the game as quickly as they start them. The Chiefs jumped out to quick leads in each of their three wins, outscoring opponents 49-6 in the first quarter. But the opposition has the advantage after that, outpacing the Chiefs 86-69. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton wants the back end of his defense to tighten up, and success in the secondary depends on a strong pass rush led by LB Justin Houston.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Broncos LB Von Miller vs. Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz. Schwartz has had good success against Miller in the past, and hasn’t allowed a sack to Miller during the last three matchups. Miller shares the league lead with four sacks entering Week 4.
–Chiefs CB Kendall Fuller vs. Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos have lost five straight games against the Chiefs and Sanders missed three of those. Sanders has roasted the Chiefs a few times in recent seasons including a seven-catch, 162-yard performance in his last game against the Chiefs in Week 11 of 2016. Fuller should draw most of the matchups against Sanders out of the slot, where the receiver has done most of his damage against the Chiefs.
