Mile High Lockdown: Chiefs’ blowout of Broncos was illuminating. What we learned ...
The snowy, cold weather didn’t matter as the Chiefs’ domination of the Denver Broncos continued Sunday.
Kansas City came out firing in all three phases of the game en route to a 43-16 win over their AFC West rival. The victory marked the Chiefs’ 10th consecutive win over the Broncos since 2015 and improved Kansas City’s record against divisional foes to 29-4 since the start of the 2015 season.
Sunday gave the Chiefs their fourth outing of at least 30 points in a game this season, and they improved to 6-1 with control in the AFC West.
“All in all, a good football game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I was impressed with all three phases and the job we did there. They overcame some things, offensively and defensively.”
Here’s what we learned from the game.
COMPLETE TEAM WIN
For the first time this season, the Chiefs enjoyed a complete game in all three phases of the game.
The Chiefs scored on offense, defense and special teams — all in the first half — signaling to the rest of the NFL that they don’t need to continue to ride quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ golden arm all the time.
Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire got the Chiefs on the board first with a bruising 11-yard run, breaking at least four tackles on his way to the end zone.
On defense, safety Daniel Sorensen picked off Broncos quarterback Drew Lock before returning it 50 yards for a touchdown. Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens deserves credit for being in Lock’s face to apply pressure on the throw.
The Broncos responded with a field goal, but the Chiefs quickly answered on the ensuing kickoff. Second-year wide receiver Byron Pringle fielded the kick 2 yards deep in the end zone, then took it straight it up the field for a 102-yard touchdown. Pringle received excellent blocks from linebacker Ben Niemann, tight end Nick Keizer, cornerback Antonio Hamilton and wide receiver Marcus Kemp, all of whom helped open a seam in the middle of the field.
The Chiefs cruised to a convincing win behind those three first-half touchdowns.
Mahomes finished 15 of 23 for 200 yards and a touchdown, which went to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. This marked the 17th consecutive game in which Mahomes has thrown a touchdown pass, the longest active streak in the NFL. And Hill continues to score against Denver at a rate unparalleled by anyone else in the league.
With the game well in hand midway through the fourth quarter, the Chiefs inserted backup quarterback Chad Henne to close out the game. Henne scored on a 1-yard run.
Mahomes, whose 200 yards passing marked the fifth-lowest career output in a single game in his career, certainly didn’t mind taking a back seat to all his teammates in the complete team win.
“Definitely nice for me,” Mahomes said. “I mean, it’s nice that we’re able to go out there and win in several different ways. I think we kind of found our plane on that at the end of last year and it’s kind of continued into this year.
“We kind of feel the temperature of the game — offense, defense and special teams. Obviously, we want to score every drive, but if it’s not there and defense is playing like it played today, don’t make anything worse. Just punt, let the special teams work and let the defense go out there and make plays.”
DEFENSIVE DOMINATION
The loss against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5 is officially a distant memory.
Since allowing seven explosive plays against the Raiders, the Chiefs stymied the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 and followed up with a dismantling of the Broncos offense.
The Chiefs recorded four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries), three sacks and six quarterback hits while holding the Broncos to 16 points.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones, defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon and cornerback Charvarius Ward each recorded a sack. Ward also produced a nine tackles, which tied Sorensen for the team lead.
Rookie linebacker Willie Gay Jr. showed why the Chiefs used a second-round pick on him in the 2020 NFL Draft. Gay’s speed was on display in addition to his ability in the passing game, where he recorded two passes defensed.
Safety Tyrann Mathieu recorded five tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and recovered a fumble, which was forced by rookie defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton.
But for all the good, the Chiefs still have lingering problems against the run. The Chiefs entered the game ranked 30th in the league in that department, allowing 145.3 yards per game on the ground. And they surrendered 177 yards to the Broncos.
LEARNING PROCESS
Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell saw action with his new team and immediately announced his presence with a 16-yard gain on his first carry.
But a moment in the first half showed he still needs time to acclimate.
Bell lined up in the backfield on a third-down situation and moved to his left at the snap of the ball. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass before quickly facing pressure from a Broncos’ blitz. Mahomes then quickly looked to Bell’s direction, indicating Bell was the hot-read. Bell, however, never got his head around while running his route out of the backfield, so Mahomes took the sack.
The Chiefs quarterback took responsibility for the play.
“It was ‘cover zero’ pressure and they held it, disguised it very well,” Mahomes said. “That’s just a little detail. I mean, he got his eyes around, but I wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to see it and recognize it.
“Just kind of building that chemistry with him on that. It wasn’t a screen or anything like that but he was kind of the hot throw in that situation and I didn’t trust it and give him the chance to make a play.”
Still, the Chiefs showed a commitment of incorporating Bell in the offense, even utilizing Bell and Edwards-Helaire in the backfield at the same time. On that play, Bell and Edwards-Helaire went in motion before the snap and split wide on opposite ends of the line of scrimmage. While the ball didn’t go their way, it’s a formation for upcoming opponents to ponder with the Chiefs looking to get both running backs in the game.
Bell finished the game with six carries for 39 yards. Edwards-Helaire paced the ground attack with eight carries for 46 yards and a touchdown.
“It was great,” Reid said of Bell’s action. “It was two-fold, because we had both of those guys playing, but it was great to get Le’Veon in and get him going. I thought he was very productive.”
GETTING HARDMAN INVOLVED EARLY
With Sammy Watkins continuing to nurse a hamstring injury, the Chiefs needed another wide receiver to step up for the second straight game.
Mecole Hardman answered the call.
After seeing one target for no catches in Week 6, Hardman was a one-man wrecking crew on the team’s first possession of the game.
The Chiefs called his number on an end-around play and he gained 13 yards on the run. Six plays later, Mahomes connected with Hardman on a 19-yard gain near the left sideline. Hardman made a nifty one-handed catch, securing the pass with his right hand before his momentum took him out of bounds.
Hardman finished with two catches for 57 yards on two targets.
Demarcus Robinson, who led the team with six catches for 69 yards in Week 6, finished with one catch for 4 yards on one target. Pringle didn’t record a catch but made his presence felt on special teams with a 102-yard return for a touchdown.
Hill led the group with six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets.
BUTKER MISSES PAT AGAIN
Harrison Butker is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top placekickers. But he missed his fifth extra point of the season, a problem that continues to rear its head. The fourth-year kicker entered the year converting more than 93 percent of extra-point attempts but is now 19 of 24 this season (79.1 percent).
Butker did go 4-for-4 on field goal attempts Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs host the winless New York Jets (0-7) at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday, Nov. 1.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 6:34 PM.
