Broncos Could Be Walking Into A Nightmare Sunday Night At Arrowhead
The Denver Broncos might get more than they bargained for this Sunday night when they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two weeks ago, when the Chiefs beat the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead, it became clear how important this Sunday’s game against Denver would be. The Broncos had just lost to the Rams, meaning there was a distinct possibility both Denver and KC would enter the contest 8-3 and that first place in the AFC West would be on the line.
Unfortunately, this past week, the Chiefs Kingdom was reminded that the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. In this case, however, an unfortunate loss and a tragic illness could create a set of circumstances that make Arrowhead Stadium a very unfriendly environment for the Denver Broncos.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot to be angry about this week. On Thursday, they let a winnable game against the NFL’s worst team get away from them. KC played a terrible half of football and the Oakland Raiders pounced on the opportunity to secure their first victory of the season. At the time, the loss seemed like the lowest of lows.
Until Monday morning.
The Chiefs gathered in the team facility Monday to prepare for the Broncos but instead received a gut-punch more severe than anything they felt after losing their football game on Thursday night. They were told that their teammate, Eric Berry, would be immediately traveling to Atlanta for a possible battle with lymphoma.
“I’ve got something I’ve got to take care of,” Berry told his teammates. “I’ll be back. I’ll be fine. You guys have to take care of business.”
Those words from Berry were unbelievably brave and selfless and for his teammates, I have to believe, inspiring.
Arrowhead Stadium is never an easy place to play for opponents, especially when the game is in primetime, as will be the case this Sunday. The fans and players are always jacked to take center stage and that has seemed to be a recipe for an even bigger home field advantage than usual for KC. The Chiefs have scored recent memorable victories over the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers (twice, MNF and Halloween night) when playing night games at Arrowhead.
The fact that Sunday’s game is on national TV, the playoff implications and the anger over last week’s loss, coupled with the awful news about Eric Berry, likely means both the Arrowhead faithful and the Chiefs players and coaches will be arriving to the stadium more emotion than usual.
The Chiefs haven’t beaten Denver since Peyton Manning took over as the team’s QB but there is no doubt that this current iteration of Lamar Hunt’s ball club has what it takes to beat the Broncos.
After games, before they go their separate ways, the Chiefs huddle together and one of the team leaders, often Dwayne Bowe or Justin Houston, will give a brief pep-talk after which they will say “fam on three.” The players do think of themselves as a family and chances are the Chiefs will react the way most families do when faced with adversity and tough times; they will come together.
And Sunday, the Broncos might just find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Chiefs and their fans unload a week’s worth of frustration at Arrowhead Stadium.
As Terrell Owens once said: