Chiefs-Broncos players to watch: Familiar foes, with a new addition, clash Sunday
The Chiefs’ visit to Denver Sunday is a reminder that the AFC West has belonged to these two franchises over the past decade.
Since 2010, they’ve each won five division titles. The Chiefs won the West in 2010, the Broncos the next five, and the Chiefs the next four.
The Chiefs own a nine-game winning streak in the rivalry. The Broncos won the previous seven. They’ve each won a Super Bowl in this era.
What will it take to get the rivalry back on even terms on a regular basis? It’s on Denver to improve. So the Broncos continue to evolve with young talent, starting with quarterback Drew Lock.
The former Lee’s Summit High and Mizzou star could be on his way to becoming the best quarterback the Broncos have had since Peyton Manning. He’s the ninth quarterback to start for Denver since Manning sat out the second half of 2015.
It’s unreasonable to expect a Patrick Mahomes-like rise, but Lock has had enough moments to look like the job is his for a while.
Besides Mahomes and Lock, here are some players to watch Sunday:
Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell
Sometimes the obvious choice is the best one. A clue about how much Bell could be used at Denver was provided earlier this week by Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCulough. “Some of the things I’ve seen in a couple of days have been really impressive to me,” McCullough said. Bell appeared in two games for the Jets this season, rushing for 14 yards against the Bills in the opener and 60 yards against the Cardinals two weeks ago. Bell was on the injured list (hamstring) between those games. Bell will play some at Denver, and his experience in cold weather should come in handy. Look for Clyde Edwards-Helaire to start and get the majority of the carries, but Bell will work in with Darrel Williams.
Chiefs defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi
KC’s Chris Jones and end Frank Clark get the attention (and rightfully so, based on past and expected production and salary). But quietly having a solid season is Nnadi, who has played half of the team’s defensive snaps and in six games is more than halfway to matching his 2019 tackle totals. He has 24 so far this season and had 48 in all of 2019.
Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay
Denver’s undrafted hometown hero is coming off his best game of the season. Lindsay, who attended high school in Denver and then played at Colorado, rushed for 101 yards last week against the Patriots. He had missed the previous three games with a toe injury. Here’s a stat: The Broncos are 6-0 since 2018 when Lindsay rushes for more than 100 yards. He had a 95-yard game against the Chiefs in 2018.
Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed
Reed has been taking advantage of his increased playing time because of injuries. He came up with a huge play last Sunday at New England, a sack of quarterback Cam Newton on the Patriots’ final possession. In five games, the undrafted second-year pro has produced two sacks and three tackles for loss.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.