{"id":1315720,"date":"2019-10-16T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T21:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/broncos-can-get-right-back-into-afc-west-race\/"},"modified":"2019-10-16T15:40:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T21:40:00","slug":"broncos-can-get-right-back-into-afc-west-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/broncos-can-get-right-back-into-afc-west-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos can get right back into AFC West race"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
FILE – In this Oct. 6, 2019, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws a pass during the first half of the team’s NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Kansas City, Mo. Mahomes has thrown 202 consecutive passes without an interception. (AP Photo\/Ed Zurga, File)<\/strong>
AP | FR34145 AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

AP-FBN\u2013Chiefs-Broncos Preview,798<\/p>\n

Broncos can get right back into AFC West race<\/p>\n

Broncos can get right back into AFC West race with win over Chiefs<\/p>\n

AP Photo COGB103, NY803, COGB109, MONH124, MONH120<\/p>\n

Eds: With AP Photos.<\/p>\n

By ARNIE STAPLETON<\/p>\n

AP Pro Football Writer<\/p>\n

DENVER \u2014 Keeping Patrick Mahomes on the sideline has worked wonders for Kansas City\u2019s opponents, providing a blueprint for the Broncos on Thursday night as they seek their first win over the Chiefs in four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery game has its own personality,\u201d cautioned Broncos coach Vic Fangio .<\/p>\n

Every team also builds its own reputation, and the Chiefs (4-2) have a dud of a defense to go along with that firecracker offense. Exploit that and the Broncos (2-4) can jump right back into the AFC West race after their September stumble.<\/p>\n

Over the past four weeks, the Chiefs, who have lost two in a row after a 4-0 start, have allowed an average of 190 rushing yards and 4.97 yards a carry as their opponents piled up eight TD runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to fix it,\u201d Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.<\/p>\n

The Chiefs have allowed a 100-yard rusher in four consecutive weeks, and it would have been five if not for the Raiders\u2019 Josh Jacobs\u2019 hydration problems \u2014 he finished with 99 yards on just 12 carries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, look, there\u2019s just one area we don\u2019t feel great about and it\u2019s stopping the run,\u201d said first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has transitioned the Chiefs from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be looking at the number of run plays, the yardage they\u2019re putting up with runs \u2014 somehow, some way we have to figure it out. Until we stop it, we\u2019re going to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up next are the Broncos, winners of two straight and the NFL\u2019s only team that sports two running backs each with at least 400 scrimmage yards. But if Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay, who have accounted for 973 yards so far, are relishing the matchup, they\u2019re masking it pretty good.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery game in the NFL is tough,\u201d Lindsay said.<\/p>\n

Freeman looked at the rushing totals the Chiefs have allowed the past four weeks: Ravens (203), Lions (186), Colts (180) and Texans (192), and shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery team goes out there and they make their adjustments week to week,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to assume they\u2019re going to go out there and try to switch things up. Plus, we have a short week, so you never know what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just look at Denver\u2019s defense , which found a quick fix to its run game problems. After allowing Leonard Fournette to go wild as the Jaguars piled up 269 yards on them, the Broncos allowed just 35 yards to the Chargers and 39 to the Titans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the NFL. Guys change things every week,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cOur defense has done a great job flipping the script.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for Denver\u2019s offense to do likewise, he added.<\/p>\n

The Broncos are averaging just 17.6 points. Even during their two-game skid, the Chiefs averaged 18.5 points despite losing the time of possession by an average of 38 minutes to 22 minutes.<\/p>\n

Other subplots as the Broncos try to snap a seven-game skid and beat Kansas City for the first time since Sept. 17, 2015:<\/p>\n

HILL, YES<\/p>\n

Tyreek Hill had two TD grabs last week in his return from a broken collarbone. The Chiefs were without Sammy Watkins because of a hamstring injury, and they\u2019ll be missing him again against Denver, where DB Kendall Fuller (thumb), DT Chris Jones (core muscle), LT Eric Fisher (core muscle) and LG Andrew Wylie (ankle) are all out.<\/p>\n

SANDERS GOOD TO GO<\/p>\n

Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders returns from a sore knee that knocked him out last week. Sanders has caught just two passes for 9 yards the past two weeks. Sanders\u2019 injury in his third in a year (ACL, ankle).<\/p>\n

OLD-TIMERS\u2019 TIME<\/p>\n

Reid and Fangio are the same age \u2014 61. Reid is in his 28th NFL season, 21 as a head coach and is seeking his 200th regular-season win. Fangio is in his 33rd NFL season but first as a head coach. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the special defensive minds of the game,\u201d said Reid, who knows all about Fangio\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

ROAD WARRIOR<\/p>\n

Mahomes is 2-0 in Denver, winning his first career start on Dec. 31, 2017, when he left a 24-10 lead to No. 3 QB Tyler Bray but returned to salvage a 27-24 win with a last-minute field-goal drive. Last year, he led the Chiefs to a 27-23 win with more fourth-quarter heroics and his famous left-handed throw to avoid a sack.<\/p>\n

SURPRISING SACKMASTER<\/p>\n

Von Miller isn\u2019t the Broncos\u2019 sacks leader. It\u2019s backup DE DeMarcus Walker, who has three sacks after getting just one in each of his first two seasons. His first came against Mahomes when both were rookies.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http:\/\/twitter.com\/arniestapleton<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

More AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/NFL<\/a> and https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\u2014NFL<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FILE – In this Oct. 6, 2019, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws a pass during the first half of the team’s NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Kansas City, Mo. Mahomes has thrown 202 consecutive passes without an interception. (AP Photo\/Ed Zurga, File)AP | FR34145 AP AP-FBN\u2013Chiefs-Broncos Preview,798 Broncos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1315720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-06 18:20:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1315720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315720\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1315720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1315720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1315720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}