The Broncos did not get the full experience of the Chiefs offense in Week 2 after Jamaal Charles succumbed to an ankle injury, limiting him to just 4 yards on two carries.
Given Charles' prolific history against Denver -- which includes the second-highest single-game rushing total ever allowed by the Broncos, in a game on Jan. 3, 2010 -- it might have been a relief for the Broncos to see him walk back to the visitors' locker room.
The Broncos' reshuffled offensive line will face one of the NFL's best pass rushers. Check out five key matchups that could affect the outcome of Sunday's game.
Jamaal Charles left the Broncos-Chiefs Week 2 matchup after just two carries as he injured his ankle. He missed the next week with injury but is back to his dominant self, including a 159-yard performance against the Seahawks. "He's a great player," Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said of Charles. "Jamaal's an outstanding talent. He's a home-run threat, he's always falling forward. He has great vision, great balance. We have a lot of respect for him. We know he's very good at what he does. They give him the ball a lot of different ways, screen game, checkdowns, and design routes and they hand it to him, toss it to him, bunch of different things. We got to be on our game."Charles averages 5.1 yards per carry and leads the team with eight rushing touchdowns. In addition to his ability to run teams over, he is showing his receiving chops, with three TD receptions. While the Broncos rush defense ranks No. 2 in the NFL, young linebackers are stepping in due to injuries. Charles will be a tough, explosive test.
Justin Houston currently leads the league with 13 sacks but when the Broncos and Chiefs played earlier this season, he had just one tackle. Denver is currently adjusting to a reshuffled offensive line as Louis Vasquez moved from right guard to right tackle, Will Montgomery went to center while Manny Ramirez shifted to right guard. Vasquez will face the brunt of Houston's pressure. While the offensive line performed well against the Dolphins, the Chiefs defense is a force in the pass rush and they are No. 5 in the NFL in sacks per dropback.
The Chiefs' defense has dominated in the air, sitting at No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards per game. They've held top-tier quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers and Colin Kapernick to less than 200 yards in the air this season and average just 198.9 passing yards allowed.While Eric Berry's absence will be felt, the secondary corps include big-time playmakers like Marcus Cooper, Sean Smith and Husain Abdullah. Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase said while Berry is one of the best players the Broncos face, he is confident the Chiefs' secondary will still be a stiff challenge."He's one of the better guys that we play," Gase said. "I know Bob Sutton does a great job as far as putting guys in great positions so with him not being there, he'll figure out a way to make sure his DBs are in the right spots."
None of the Chiefs wide receivers have scored a touchdown this season. While Charles and Knile Davis are key components in keeping the ball away from receivers, the Chiefs have two productive tight ends in Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano.Kelce is second on the team with 542 receiving yards, trailing Dwayne Bowe by just nine yards. But Kelce has four touchdowns on the season while Fasano has three. When the two AFC West rivals faced off in Week 2, Kelce led the Chiefs with 81 receiving yards, but the Chiefs could only garner two touchdowns, both rushing.The Broncos struggled defending Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates earlier this season and Kelce will look to create similar opportunities for his team.
The Broncos know quite well the mobility of Alex Smith. In Week 2, on third-and-4 at the Denver 47, Smith scrambled for 25 yards to the Denver 22, which was tied for the second-longest play of the game. That play extended a drive that resulted in a Knile Davis touchdown, giving the Chiefs the lead.Von Miller, who had nine sacks through the Broncos' first seven games, has gotten to the quarterback just once in the past four games. Miller will work to get to the mobile Smith and keep him in the pocket. While Miller will be hungry for another sack, Smith will look to bounce back from a loss to the Raiders.
"He's one of the best backs in the league. He's a very versatile back," said Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall. "He can catch. He can run. He can make you miss. He can run between the tackles, outside the tackles. The guy is an incredible talent. We're going to have our hands full this week. But we have a good plan and we'll get things done."
But the Chiefs kept running. It's not just about Charles, although he presents the most potent threat; it's about Knile Davis, who followed Charles' injury by posting back-to-back 100-yard performances against Miami and New England.
The Chiefs are third in the league in rushing yardage per carry, and fourth in rushing yardage per game. Although Charles has the better yardage-per-carry numbers and is more consistent and explosive, the Chiefs can use him interchangeably with Davis.
KEEPING A DEFENSE OFF-BALANCE
With the Chiefs' vertical passing game struggling and their receiving corps hurting to the point that they had to sign recently released Panthers wide receiver Jason Avant this week, Kansas City could need its entire complement of ballcarriers more than ever.
But it's not just Charles and Davis. It's quarterback Alex Smith who provides a threat that must be taken seriously -- particularly on third down, when he rolls out and has the option to run for the sticks. At 5.5 yards per carry, this can be a successful tactic.
The Broncos' pass rush can generate pressure on the edges, but if they get caught behind Smith, he will take off.
"That's the thing: if you don't have a level rush or you don't have somebody in there waiting as a hole player, so to speak, then he'll take off on a third-and-5, third-and-4, and slide and get the first down," said Marshall, "and we'll still be on the field."
Smith averaged 10.4 yards per carry in the teams' first meeting last year, and worked at an 8.4-yards-per-carry pace on five rushes in their September meeting.
The threat often forces a linebacker to spy on Smith, which removes a defender from downfield coverage or the pass rush, which can create more openings. And while Charles is lethal in space, more often, tight end Travis Kelce is the short option underneath that wreaks havoc.
Kelce possesses startling agility for a man his size (6-foot-6, 260 pounds). Few are better at stopping on a dime immediately after catching the pass, letting the defender sail past, and quickly accelerating to top speed.
He leads the Chiefs with four touchdown receptions -- four more than the collective tally from their wide receivers.
""No, I don't take it into account. I understand it's a stat that is out there but it's a good offense," said Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio.
KANSAS CITY BY THE NUMBERS
TOTAL OFFENSE
- Yards per game: 326.6, 22nd
- Yards per play: 5.32, 21st
- Giveaways: 10, T-3rd
- First-down rate: One every 3.34 plays, 11th
- Third-down conversion rate: 44.6 percent, 6th
PASSING
- Yards per game: 189.5, 31st
- Yards per pass play: 5.89, 26th
- Sack rate: One per 13.11 pass plays, 22nd
- Touchdown rate: One every 27.23 pass plays, 23rd
- Quarterback hit rate: One per 8.23 pass plays, 12th
- First-down rate: One per 2.77 pass plays, 11th
- Drop rate (per STATS, Inc.):One per 11.14 opportunities, 32nd
- Yards after catch per reception (per STATS, Inc.): 6.15, 7th
RUSHING
- Yards per game: 137.1, 4th
- Yards per rush: 4.70, 3rd
- First-down rate: One every 4.34 carries, 10th
- Touchdown rate: One every 20.06 carries, 1st
