Should The Chiefs Be On Upset Alert?

The Kansas City Chiefs have started the season 8-0 and talks of a perfect season have begun to creep in. Although, when you think of an 8-0 team, you often think of dominance. This isn’t the story with this year’s Chiefs. All but two of the Chiefs games this season have been decided by a single possession and in the Ravens’ case a toe length.

The Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has had the worst statistical season of his career thus far. Injuries have piled up at key positions, with Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice both going down with severe injuries. Not to mention free agent signing Hollywood Brown who still hasn’t played a single snap for the Chiefs. It doesn’t matter who the Chiefs are playing, their strong defense keeps them in games just long enough for Mahomes to work some magic and win in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Chiefs Have Cause For Concern

The Chiefs perfect record was almost blemished on Monday Night Football when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to town. The Buccaneers were missing their top two receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, meaning that “dominant” Chiefs defense should have had no problem keeping the Bucs offense in check. This couldn’t have been further from the truth, although the Bucs weren’t able to come away with the win or put up incredible numbers. They were in the position to win this game and forced overtime.

The Chiefs’ secondary allowed for Baker Mayfield to go right down the field for the game-tying drive. Hitting receivers like Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard for chunk plays over and over again. The Chiefs’ defense struggled to stop a Buccaneers offense that was missing two players that accounted for half of their offensive production leading up to this game.

Patrick Mahomes Injured In Monday Night Win

Kansas City Chiefs fans had to hold their breath when Mahomes went down with an ankle injury and had to be helped off the field Monday night. Mahomes is known for his elusive scrambling ability to extend plays and pick up big runs in key situations. With Mahomes’ ankle not being fully healthy this could limit his mobility for this week’s game against the Denver Broncos.

An ankle injury is tricky, we did see Mahomes come back into the game against the Buccaneers and continue to play at a high level. But there were clear signs of the injury bothering him throughout the remainder of the game. There came a play where Mahomes would just fall down in the backfield untouched, it appeared like his ankle just gave out on him. This is cause for concern heading into not just this divisional bout but something that could linger for the rest of the season.

Can Broncos Upset The Champs

The Denver Broncos are set to face off against the Chiefs this coming week. A rivalry that has been dominated by the Chiefs in recent years. In fact, in the last 17 meetings between the teams the Chiefs hold a record of 16-1 against the Broncos. The one loss coming just last year ending a 16-game win streak from Chiefs in this divisional rivalry.

The Broncos have surprised people this year, picking up wins in the most unlikely games. They find themselves right in the middle of the playoff hunt in the AFC. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has certainly had some flashes of greatness but has also shown, he is a rookie. His performances have been up and down all season long.

However, the Broncos’ defense has been one of the best in the league this season. Something nobody saw coming. Vance Joseph has done an incredible job getting this defense to play at a consistently high level and stopping even the best passers this season. Stud cornerback Patrick Surtain II has been playing at an All-Pro level and should be able to hold DeAndre Hopkins in check. The Broncos’ defense is the key to victory against the Chiefs this week. Surtain needs to be lock down on Hopkins and can’t let Kareem Hunt get going. With Mahomes limited due to an ankle injury that could help the Broncos’ fierce pass rush get home and take him down more often than not.

The term trap game could be used here. The Chiefs are currently an eight-point favorite in this game, and given this rivalry’s track record it’s assumed the Chiefs should have no problem taking care of business. Watch out for the Broncos to make this a much closer game than expected and hang around until the end. Sean Payton knows a thing or two about taking risks, when necessary, in a game. So, you can bet if the Broncos have a chance to go for two and the win, they will.