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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – ** Andy Reid and Justin Houston met Denver media via conference call on Wednesday.

ERIC BERRY'S HEALTH

Obviously, the most jarring news in the NFL this week came out of Kansas City, where the Chiefs placed safety Eric Berry on the Non-Football Injury list – ending his season – after a mass was found in his chest.

Reid noted Wednesday that Berry is undergoing tests with a lymphoma specialist at Emory University in Atlanta, but not much else is known right now. However, Reid said that the locker room mood has remained rather positive.

"It's actually upbeat," Reid said. "That is good with Eric and he had an opportunity to talk to the football team. I thought he did a real nice job with that.

"He said, 'Let me take care of this business and I'll be back. You guys take care of business here.' It was just that simple."

"It's tough," Houston added. "We know we can't let that stop us. We know there are going to be ups and downs during the season, and that was a big down for us.

"We've got to just keep moving forward. We've got to be there for him for support. We also know we've got to stay focused and not let that distract us on the field."

PREPARING FOR DENVER'S OFFENSE

On the football field, the Chiefs will probably plan to duplicate their second-half performance in Week 2, when they allowed the Broncos just two meaningful possessions (excludes a kneeldown) and held them to a lone field goal.

While converting third downs and winding the clock again may be the best weapon against the Peyton Manning-led offense, the Chiefs' D will certainly try to do their part. When asked about the biggest challenge of facing Manning, Houston emphasized the QB's command of the offense.

"He does everything on the field," Houston said. "He's smart. He sees a lot of things before they even happen. Trying to play against a guy like that, you've got to make sure everybody's on the same page and communicating, and try to make it hard for him to read what you're doing."

The Chiefs are also expecting more work on the ground from the Broncos this week, and Houston said KC's game plan will focus on stopping the run to make the Broncos one-dimensional. That may prove more difficult than it was earlier in the year – the Broncos ran 19 times for 88 yards (4.6 average) in Week 2 – considering Denver's powerful run game that racked up 201 yards against the Dolphins.

"They did a nice job with it," Reid said of the Broncos' Week 12 performance on the ground. "[C.J. Anderson] is a good runner. They've got a couple of them, actually. They did a nice job."

Continued efforts on the ground could be crucial in moving the ball against the Chiefs' defense, which has allowed the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL (198.9) and fourth fewest per play (5.98). Against the run however, the Chiefs rank 26th in yards allowed per game (129.4) and dead last on a per play basis (4.96).

"I don't think they want to throw the ball like they did last year," Houston said of the 35-28 Broncos win in Kansas City, which Houston missed due to injury. "I think they're more balanced this year. They want to run the ball and control the clock more."