Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum will face off this coming Saturday, January 8, in Colorado when the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs go head-to-head with the AFC West cellar-dwellers, Denver Broncos. Here's a breakdown of the Chiefs vs Broncos clash.
Kansas City Chiefs installed as -10 favorites
The Kansas City Chiefs had their eight-game winning streak snapped in Week 17 with a stinging 34-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a costly defeat for the Chiefs, who relinquished the top seed in the AFC standings to the surging Tennessee Titans.
Kansas City is currently ranked second in the AFC with an 11-5 slate. The Chiefs share the same record as the Titans, but Tennessee holds the tiebreaker based on its head-to-head win percentage. The Titans defeated the Chiefs, 27-3, earlier this season.
The Chiefs still have an outside shot of grabbing the top seed in the AFC and gaining home-field advantage for the rest of the playoffs. Kansas City needs to beat Denver in Week 18 and hope that Tennessee loses to Houston in their regular-season finale.
For the Chiefs to grab the all-important win against the Broncos, they will need to get a great showing from Patrick Mahomes. He completed 26 of 35 passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the loss to the Bengals. Mahomes delivered the goods in Week 17, but the Chiefs' defense failed to show up in their loss to Cincinnati.
Joe Burrow had a field day against the Chiefs, throwing for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Drew Lock is no Burrow, though, and the Chiefs will fancy their chances of shutting the Broncos quarterback in Week 18. The Chiefs held the Broncos to just nine points in their first meeting this season.
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Denver Broncos enter Week 18 as +10 underdogs
Denver's late-season woes continued in Week 17, with the Broncos suffering a 34-13 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers. They have lost four of their last five games, including their last three outings. The loss to the Chargers all but ended Denver's hopes of reaching the playoffs this season.
It was a disappointing end to the season for the Broncos, who started their 2021 campaign with three straight victories. Their once-promising season unraveled, though, with injuries dooming their playoff bid. The Broncos missed the services of Teddy Bridgewater for the second consecutive week, and they struggled as a result, racking up just 319 total yards.
They had difficulty moving the chains against LA, converting just three of their 11 third down opportunities and only one of their fourth down chances. The same cannot be said of the Chargers, who converted nine of their 15 third down tries.
One guy who needs to step up for the Broncos in their season finale is Drew Lock. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the loss to the Chargers. The Broncos must establish their run game against the Chiefs. Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams combined for just 73 yards rushing in Week 17.
Writer's Prediction
Kansas City wins and covers the spread.
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