Week 7 finds us at Empower Field at Mile High to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos. The Broncos (2-3) had their biggest upset win of the season last week on the road against the New England Patriots but will face a much tougher opponent at home this week in the Chiefs (5-1).
Broncos
Drew Lock returned from injury last week to throw 189 scoreless yards and two interceptions. Phillip Lindsay also returned from injury and rushed for a season-high 101 yards, his sixth career game with 100-plus rushing yards. Tim Patrick led the team with four catches for 101 yards. Bradley Chubb did his part on the other side of the ball, collecting a sack and forcing a fumble. He now has 3.5 sacks over the past two games. Malik Reed had a career-high two sacks, and Anthony Chickillo chipped in with his first sack of the season. In the secondary, Michael Ojemudia had seven tackles, a pass deflection, and two forced fumbles. Justin Simmons had eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
The Broncos will need to control the ball and win the time of possession battle if they want a shot at pulling off the upset. With Pro Bowl running backs Melvin Gordon and Lindsay averaging 4.3 and 4.2 yards per carry respectively, the Broncos have what they need to keep the ball away from Patrick Mahomes. If the Chiefs get up early, Lock will need to spread the ball around to his playmakers. Jerry Jeudy and Patrick should stretch the defense on the outside, opening up the middle of the field for Noah Fant. The Broncos can’t afford to have Lock extending plays with his legs and risk injury. The offensive line needs to keep Lock upright long enough for him to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
Chiefs
Mahomes completed 21 of his 26 passes, an 80.8 completion percentage, for 225 yards and two touchdowns, resulting in a 128.4 quarterback rating. He’s now thrown two or more touchdown passes in every game this season, which is tied for most in NFL. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for a career-high 161 yards. He now has 90 or more scrimmage yards in three of his last four games. Travis Kelce had a season-high two touchdowns. Even though the Chiefs’ defense failed to collect a sack, they did enough to pressure and force Josh Allen into making multiple inaccurate throws. Allen could only complete 14 of his 27 passes, a 51.9 completion percentage. Daniel Sorensen picked off Allen late in the game to seal the victory.
The Chiefs rank inside the top-10 in every major offensive category, including passing yards, rushing yards, and points scored. The Chiefs simply need to continue dominating on offense if they want to win. Le’Veon Bell will make his Chiefs debut this week, joining a backfield that already boasts explosive rookie Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs now have the luxury of rotating both backs, keeping them fresh against a Broncos defense that is allowing 110.6 rushing yards per game, putting them 13th in the NFL. With Kelce, Edwards-Helaire, Bell, and Mecole Hardman at his disposal, Mahomes should have no problem moving the ball this week.
Game Info
Date: October 25, 2020
Start time: 2:25 P.M. MST
Location: Denver, CO
Stadium: Empower Field at Mile High
TV Info: CBS
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Points Spread: KC -9.5 (-110) | DEN +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: KC -450 | DEN +350
Over/Under: O 46 (-110) | U 46 (-110)
The Chiefs come into Week 7, averaging an elite 29.2 points per game versus just 20 points for the Broncos, which is fourth-worst. The total yards per game differential is 417 versus 305.2 in favor of the Chiefs. After limiting the Patriots to just 288 total yards, the Broncos will need to carry over that defensive momentum if they want a shot at stopping Mahomes and this high-powered offense. Expect the Broncos to take full advantage of playing at home in the altitude and compete until the very end. An upset is possible, but it’s hard to go against Mahomes. Expect the Broncos to cover the 9.5-point spread.
Prediction
Mahomes comes out firing and connects with Kelce for the game’s first touchdown. After exchanging field goals, Lindsay punches it in from two yards out. The Chiefs take a three-point lead into halftime. Coming out of the break, Lock leads the Broncos down the field and finds Noah Fant for a 20-yard touchdown to take the game’s first lead. Clyde Edwards-Helaire takes a screen 50 yards to the house to retake the lead. The Broncos fight their way back, kicking a couple of field goals before the Chiefs seal it with a rushing touchdown by Bell late in the fourth quarter.
*Final Score: Chiefs 27, Broncos 23*
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