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NFL Week 13 Preview: Denver Broncos vs Kansas City Chiefs

By Andrew Dill

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Dec 1, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Kansas City Chiefs long snapper Thomas Gafford snaps the ball against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are coming off a come-from-behind win against the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday. C.J. Anderson helped pave the way for Denver’s eighth victory of the season, defeating the Dolphins at home 39-36. Now the Broncos face a familiar foe in the Kansas Chiefs – a pivotal week 13 game which will be nationally televised.

What: NFL Week 13 Preview: Denver Broncos (8-3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
When: Sunday, November 30th
Where: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
Time: 8:30 PM EST, 6:30 PM MST
TV: NBC

Before I begin breaking down this preview, I would just like to say my thoughts and prayers are with Chiefs safety Eric Berry. Berry was placed on the teams non-football illness list after team doctors discovered a mass on the right side of his chest – believed to be lymphoma. Football is just a game and life is what’s more important. Stay strong Eric, Broncos Country is backing you and we hope to see you back and better than ever next season.

Everything was going wrong for the Broncos Sunday afternoon up until the fourth quarter. Denver outscored Miami in that very quarter, 22-8, earning their eighth victory of the 2014-15′ season. C.J. Anderson stole the show, even though Peyton Manning passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns.

Anderson carried the ball 27 times for the Broncos, tallying 167 yards and one touchdown to show for it. C.J. also caught four passes for 28 yards – a long of 9. Having a balanced offense will only help Denver in the long-run, especially once the playoffs roll around. Anderson’s cementing himself as the teams best back easily.

If you haven’t heard (I’m sure you have), Denver waived kicker Brandon McManus Tuesday afternoon in favor of Connor Barth, who came in for a tryout with the Broncos earlier that morning. Denver was fed up with McManus who made just 9-of-13 field goal attempts. McManus missed a 33-yard field goal Sunday afternoon which signaled the end of the road for him as a Bronco.

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The Chiefs on the other hand are coming off a disappointing loss to the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football. Oakland played inspired football as they notched their first win of the season.  A reason why the Chiefs lost was because of third downs. Kansas City converted just 2 third downs on 14 tries – not exactly winning football numbers. That number reflects on quarterback Alex Smith who has to put his team in a better position to win.

Denver must bottle up Jamaal Charles Sunday night or it could be a back-and-fourth affair. Oakland did their share in holding Charles to 80 yards on 19 attempts – 4.2 yards per carry. Denver enters Sunday night’s game ranked second in the entire NFL in terms of opposing rushing yards, holding teams to just  75.5 yards per contest.

Kansas City’s defense is pretty darn good in their own right. Denver is known for their passing game led by Peyton Manning, but Kansas City is phenomenal against it. The Chiefs are first in the NFL at defending the pass, allowing just 198.9 yards through the air. Kansas City doesn’t have many eye-popping names in their secondary but their front-four (Mike DeVito, Dee Ford, Tamba Hali, and Justin Houston) are good at putting the pressure on the quarterback.

Kansas City will be hungry for this game, especially their fans. Denver needs to make sure their special teams is ready to play as well – no mistakes. With a Kansas City win, they will be tied at the top of the AFC West standings with Denver and we certainly don’t want to see that happen.

Kick-off between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs is scheduled for 8:30 PM EST, 6:30 PM MST on NBC.

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