Chiefs-Broncos preview: Mile High Monster

By Clayton Wendler  |   Friday, September 15, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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Broncos-Chiefs Preview: Mile-High Monster

When the Kansas City Chiefs pass: The last time these two teams played, Trent Green lit up Denver's secondary for 253 yards on just 16 completions. But that was last year. Green won't be behind center for the Chiefs this Sunday, and Willie Roaf won't be providing blind side protection for Damon Huard, now the starter. The Chiefs struggled in pass protection against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. They allowed seven sacks. The good news for Kansas City is that Jordan Black, the right tackle who gave up 4.5 of those sacks, is no longer starting. Third-year man Kevin Sampson gets the nod this week. Whether that means Kansas City's protection issues are solved is something else.

The Broncos don't have a dominant pass rusher on their defensive line, but they got to Rams quarterback Marc Bulger three times last week. They will surely bring pressure until Huard shows he's capable of beating it. Look for the Chiefs to come out throwing quick passes to take the pressure off their offensive line. Logic suggests that using early play action would help, too, but the Chiefs didn't do much of that last week.


Edge: Broncos


When the Denver Broncos pass: Jake Plummer struggled mightily against a mediocre Rams secondary last week, completing just half of his passes for a meager 138 yards with three interceptions. Even rookie cornerback Tye Hill managed to notch an interception. Meanwhile, the Chiefs did an admirable job of stopping Carson Palmer. Cincinnati's longest pass completion was 30 yards, and that came on a dumpoff pass against a blitz. The Chiefs got their hands on three of Palmer's passes, but dropped all three of the potential interceptions.

In Plummer's defense, his teammates did little to help out. Denver receivers dropped seven passes, including three by new star wideout Javon Walker. Denver's pass protection was also porous. Broncos right tackle George Foster was dominated by Rams defensive end Leonard Little in the early going. Little finished the game with two of St. Louis' four sacks. Rookie defensive end Tamba Hali is a similar player for the Chiefs.

Look for the Broncos to come out throwing bootleg passes as they usually do against Kansas City. It will be up to Hali to contain Plummer when he rolls to his right. With Ty Law and Patrick Surtain starting at cornerback for Kansas City, it doesn't get any easier for Plummer this week.


Edge: Chiefs


When the Kansas City Chiefs run: Larry Johnson gashed the Broncos for 140 yards last year at Arrowhead. The Broncos struggled at times against Rams running back Steven Jackson last week, giving up 122 yards on the ground and missing several tackles. Despite that, this is still a solid run defense. Denver returned most of the personnel from last season that helped it rank No. 2 against the run, including one of the fastest linebacker corps in football with Ian Gold, Al Wilson and D.J. Williams. The Chiefs will get a boost with Sampson's return at right tackle. He's a more powerful run blocker at the point of attack than Black. With Huard under center for Kansas City, the Broncos are likely to stuff the box with eight- and nine-man fronts early on, which means little running room for Johnson, who totaled just 68 yards on 17 carries last week. That won't happen this week. Look for the Chiefs to feed Johnson the ball in his first start at Invesco and hope their defense keeps the game close.


Edge: Even


When the Denver Broncos run: There are three things you can count on in life: death, taxes and the Denver Broncos piling up rushing yardage against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos have averaged 188.6 rushing yards per game over the last three seasons against Kansas City. Denver racked up 161 yards against the Rams last week. The Chiefs did an admirable job of holding Rudi Johnson and the Bengals to 3.4 yards per carry last week, but until proven otherwise, they can't stop Denver's running game. The Broncos are inexperienced at running back with rookie Mike Bell and third-year man Tatum Bell splitting the carries, but it probably won't matter.


Edge: Broncos


Special teams: Denver has the ever-reliable Jason Elam at placekicker, but punter Todd Sauerbrun will miss the second of four games due to substance abuse. Paul Ernster will handle the punting and kickoff duties in his absence. Don't count on Dante Hall returning any kicks for scores, however. Ernster had a solid preseason and is capable of nailing the ball into the back of the end zone on every kickoff in the thin air of Mile High. The Chiefs' kickers will enjoy the same advantage, which means Dustin Colquitt's already impressive punts will likely travel even farther. Denver doesn't have anyone especially dangerous at kick returner.


Edge: Even


Intangibles: The Chiefs have not beaten the Broncos in Denver since 2000. The Broncos have a 10-1 record in home openers under Mike Shanahan. The Chiefs have a lot to prove with their new defense, but don't look for Plummer to string together two bad games in a row, especially at home. Kansas City head coach Herman Edwards has a 1-1 record against Shanahan.


Edge: Broncos


Prediction: The Chiefs will rally around each other in Green's absence, but the Mile High
Mountain will seem a little taller this time without him.

Broncos 24, Chiefs 9

Comments? Suggestions? Criticism? Contact C.E. Wendler at cwendler@realfootball365.com

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