The Denver Broncos (5-8) head to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to face the Kansas City Chiefs (9-4).
There will be plenty on the line for the Chiefs. Though they have already clinched the AFC West division crown for the fourth year in a row, they are still in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
For Denver, they are just trying to build on their last two wins with rookie Drew Lock at quarterback. After a dominant win over the Houston Texans last Sunday, a win this week would really get people talking.
Here’s what to look for in this one.
1. Can Lock keep it going?
Lock is the obvious place to start as he has been sharp in his two starts with the team. He hasn’t done anything out of this world, but he has looked a lot better than Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen did and that has brought an excitement that hasn’t been felt in years.
In two games, Lock has completed a whopping 72.7 percent of his throws for 443 yards and five touchdowns. On Sunday, he will be playing against the team he rooted for as a kid and members of his family and friends are sure to be in attendance.
He will likely be motivated to continue his hot streak.
2. Is Patrick Mahomes 100 percent?
Mahomes has been good this season, but he hasn’t been as good as he was in 2018 and that might be attributed to one thing — injuries.
It seems that Mahomes has been battling injuries all season, as he tweaked his ankle against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 and later dislocated his knee in the first meeting with the Broncos this season.
Last week, he appeared to injure the thumb on his throwing hand against the New England Patriots.
The Chiefs have done a good job disguising his ailments and protecting him, but Mahomes hasn’t been “right” all year in all likelihood.
3. Denver rushing attack
The Chiefs have statistically been one of the worst teams in defending against the run this season but have been slowly improving in recent weeks. In the first game against the Broncos this season, they held running back Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman to 71 yards on 21 carries.
The Broncos need to be able to run the ball in this game to both keep the pressure off of Lock and to keep Mahomes off the field. The team will need to do much better than the 3.8 yards per carry it averaged in the first game against the Chiefs this season.
4. Chris Harris vs. Tyreek Hill
If you look at the score in the first game between the two teams this season (30-6), it looks like a dominant win for the Chiefs. But it was actually a game the Broncos could have won without a few mistakes.
The biggest play in the game came late in the third quarter with the Chiefs leading 20-6.
Hill came on a crossing route but after Matt Moore, who had come into the game in relief of Mahomes, stepped up in the pocket, Hill got behind Harris and it was an easy pitch and catch for a 57-yard touchdown.
Harris, and whoever else he needs to help him, need to keep a watchful eye on Hill as there is no keeping up with him one on one.
Since that game, Hill has only scored two touchdowns and many of the Chiefs’ opponents have found a way to keep him from making the big play. The Broncos need to find a way to do the same.
