Five things to know about Chiefs’ next opponent: Denver Broncos (round two)

Think the Broncos will be on on guard for any left-handed passes from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes?

Nah, but the Broncos will get their third look at Mahomes in what will be his ninth career start. The first came in the final game of 2017 and the other was on Oct. 1 when the Chiefs rallied for a 27-23 win.

Mahomes is 2-0 all-time against Denver, but this will be the first time he faces the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs’ game against Denver, 3-4, will kick off at noon Sunday and it will be broadcast on CBS (Ch. 5).

Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are five things to know about the Broncos:

1. Defensive rebound

Coincidentally, the Broncos and Chiefs are both coming off 45-10 victories in Week 7. Denver won at Arizona on Thursday in what general manager John Elway called a must-win game.

The Broncos’ defense had its best game of the season. Check out the improvement across the board, particularly on run defense (the Chiefs rushed for 142 yards in 26 attempts earlier this month):

2. Lindsay’s great start

Rookie running back Phillip Lindsay is averaging a robust 5.8 yards per rush this season. He’s run for 436 yards in 75 carries.

Against the Cardinals, he had 90 yards in 14 carries with this touchdown in which he bulled his way through the Arizona defenders:

Lindsay, who also has caught 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, ran the ball 12 times for 69 yards in the first meeting with the Chiefs.

3. Case not making his case

While the Broncos rolled over the Cardinals, quarterback Case Keenum didn’t exactly light it up.

Keenum, who signed a two-year $36 million contract before the season, entered week seven as the 29th-ranked starting quarterback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

In Thursday’s victory, he completed 14 of 21 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In the first meeting against the Chiefs this season, Keenum completed 21-of-33 passes for 245 yards and an interception.

4. Demaryius Thomas on the block?

There is speculation that Keenum could be without receiver Demaryius Thomas, who has had done well against the Chiefs in the past.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos have been listening to offers for Thomas, who is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

Thomas, 30, has 33 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns this season. He’s had great success in 16 career games against the Chiefs. He has more receiving yards (1,055) against Kansas City than any other team and has 74 receptions in those games.

The NFL’s trade deadline is Oct. 30.

Schefter reported that the Broncos aren’t interesting in dealing fellow receiver Emmanuel Sanders, but believe Courtland Sutton could step up if Thomas is traded.

Sutton, a rookie, had three catches for 51 yards against the Chiefs earlier this month.

5. Third-down woes

The Broncos are among the worst teams in the NFL at converting on third down. Denver has converted 35.6 percent of its third-down plays, which ranks 27th in the NFL.

Against the Cardinals, the Broncos converted just five of 13 attempts on third down. They were even worse against the Chiefs in the first meeting. Denver converted two of 11 third-down attempts.

This story was originally published October 22, 2018 at 9:06 AM.