The Kansas City Chiefs (3-5) head to square off with the Denver Broncos (7-1) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High this week. The NFL’s fifth-leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas (745 yards, 1 TD), will be a player to watch in this game. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 15 and will air on CBS.
Denver and Kansas City last met in Week 2, when the Broncos put in a solid performance and beat the Chiefs 31-24. Denver has been victorious in the last five over the Chiefs, going back to the 2013 season. Emmanuel Sanders had a standout performance in the last meeting, pulling in eight receptions for 87 yards and two TDs. Demaryius Thomas had a great game as well, adding 116 yards on eight catches. Jamaal Charles had a good outing running the ball for Kansas City in that game, rushing 21 times for 125 yards and one TD.
A close score is not projected this week when the Chiefs, a substantial seven-point underdog, take on Denver. The Over/Under (O/U) line is currently at 42 points for this matchup.
Sitting at 7-1 Straight Up (SU) and 5-2-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Broncos will look to improve heading into Week 10. In their five most recent matchups, the Broncos went 4-1 SU and 2-2-1 ATS. Denver is averaging 106.8 rushing yards in its last five games, an improvement over its season average of 88.1. The Chiefs will have a hard time putting up points against Denver’s top-five home scoring defense, which gives up 14.3 points per home game. When the Chiefs meet the Broncos this week, they face the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. The Broncos give up 181.4 passing yards per game. The Chiefs will need to stop Denver’s defense from getting to their quarterback in order to be successful in this game. The Broncos lead the league in sacks with 3.6 per game. The Broncos hope to continue the trend of smacking Kansas City’s defense during the first quarter, when it allows 9.2 points per road game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Chiefs head into Week 10 with records of 3-5 for both ATS and SU. Over their last five games, the Chiefs have a SU and ATS record of 2-3. The front seven for the Chiefs will be looking to shut down the weak rushing attack of the Broncos, which ranks 28th in the league with an average of 88.1 rushing yards per game. The Chiefs defense should be able to pick off a few throws as the Broncos lead the league in interceptions with 1.6 thrown per game. The Broncos will have to stay focused in the second quarter against Kansas City. The Chiefs finish off the first half with intensity, averaging 9.5 points during the second quarter. Penalties are a common occurrence for Denver. The Broncos are one of the most penalized teams in the league with 8.2 infractions per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den, ATS Winner – Den, O/U – Over
Notes
Denver is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver’s last 6 games at home.
Denver is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Denver’s last 10 games when playing Kansas City.
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas City.
Denver is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Kansas City.
Kansas City is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Denver.
Kansas City is 3-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Denver is 6-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Denver is 2-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (4-0 SU) in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Since the beginning of last season, Denver is a perfect 8-0 SU against AFC West opponents, while Kansas City is 3-4 SU against divisional foes.
The Denver rushing attack is ranked only 28th in the league, while the Kansas City run defense is ranked 11th. The Chiefs’ offensive run game is ranked just 12th, compared to the fifth-ranked rush defense of the Broncos.
