Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
- 2,455
- 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s been a while.
The last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs, Peyton Manning was under center for Denver, DeMarcus Ware lined up opposite Von Miller and the “No-Fly Zone” was still intact.
It’s been more than four years since the Broncos stunned the Chiefs in Arrowhead in Week 2 of the 2015 season, and Denver desperately wants to snap the streak.
“Every divisional game is important, and we’ve struggled against the Chiefs the past eight times,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said Wednesday. “If we go in and — not ‘if’ — when we go in and take care of business in Kansas City, it’s going to definitely shake up the division a little bit. People are going to start to put us in that conversation of a team that can win the division. Like you said, the Chiefs have been running it for a while and it’s upon us to start the wave. Why not this next game?”
The Broncos’ chances will depend largely on rookie quarterback Drew Lock, who aims to become just the fourth Denver quarterback to win a game at Arrowhead in December. Only Manning, John Elway and Kyle Orton have accomplished the feat, and the Broncos are 3-14 in Arrowhead in December since the stadium opened.
Of course, not everything will be decided by the rookie quarterback who is headed home to Missouri.
These are the questions that will help determine a winner as the Broncos aim to keep their slight playoff chances alive:
HOW DOES DREW LOCK HANDLE HIS HOMECOMING?
A week ago, Drew Lock became the first rookie to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in his first road start — and he improved his record to 2-0 as a starter.
But all eyes are on this weekend, as Lock attempts to become the first Broncos rookie quarterback to start his career 3-0. He’ll do it in his hometown stadium, and he may need another near perfect performance.
There are reasons to suggest Lock can put one together. When he entered the lineup, the Broncos’ offense was averaging just 15.9 points per game and was converting 27.7 percent of their third downs. In two starts, Lock has bumped the season numbers up to 18.2 points per game and 31.1 percent of their third downs. That’s not an insignificant difference, and he’s done it by leading the Broncos to an average of 30.5 points per game and converting 52.3 percent of the time on third down.
If he can match that stat line, it would be more than impressive against a Chiefs passing defense that ranks 12th in the league.
“They do a lot of different things both from a pressure standpoint and a coverage standpoint,” Head Coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday. “He’s going to have to make some tough and correct reads, figure out where to go with the ball quickly and be able to decipher the pressures from the non-pressures and then the different coverages.”
One note: Lock has won in Arrowhead before. In college, he led Missouri to a 20-16 win over BYU. He’ll look to add another win to his resume on Sunday.