Chiefs can indeed win in Denver, will they…..

Public disclaimer: The Chiefs are still 7-3 this season, control their own destiny, and are good enough to win a home playoff game.  One loss doesn’t change that.

This team, every year that Andy Reid and Alex Smith have run the show, have had a game that they just absolutely laid an egg. The Bears last year (ironically, the last home loss prior to this past Sundays showing to the Buccaneers).

I will not move on without acknowledging the Chiefs have enough injury issues and offensive problems they can miss the playoffs. That much has been on display not just this past weekend, but also the weeks leading up to the game against Tampa Bay.

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs can defeat the Denver Broncos this Sunday Night. It’s quite possible. Here’s why this can happen.

Talent: First off, the Chiefs are indeed a deep and talented football team. With injuries galore on their defense, the Chiefs held the Buccaneers to 19 points. Players some of us don’t know and were not on the roster until Halloween played a key role in limiting the Buccaneers offense to only one touchdown.  Yes, the defense had issues on third down and yes, they played a bent but don’t break style, but, with their backups against a young offense with a star receiver and developing quarterback, the Chiefs defense did a job worthy of a victory on an NFL Sunday.

The Broncos offense can be called many things, but I don’t think explosive fits. Yes, there are good wide receivers with Denver, but their questions both along the offensive line and questions at the quarterback position limit the true effectiveness of the offense. If the Chiefs are able to return some of their injured starters back into the fold, they have the ability to limit the Broncos offense on Sunday Night.

Secondly, stopping the run is not a strength of the Denver Broncos defense, at all. In fact, the Broncos rank 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per game on defense. On a night in Denver that is likely to not be warm, rushing the ball and owning time of possession will be important. Depending on the status of Charcandrick West combined with Spencer Ware, the Chiefs may have the bodies to rush the football.

With the likely return of Derek Wolfe and Aqib Talib to the lineup for the Broncos, as well as the apparently absence of Jeremy Maclin for the Chiefs, running the ball, and doing so effectively, will be vital. Combine that with the apparent depth issues on defense again this week and the Chiefs will be need to keep and posses the ball to aid in their efforts for a victory.

Next, the Chiefs, have in quarterback Alex Smith who, most of the time, doesn’t turn the ball over. Yes, it’s difficult to truly say that when his just awful interception in the end zone may have very likely ended the Chiefs chances of truly winning the game. However, if Smith is able to control the ball, limit mistakes, the Chiefs will have a chance.

That’s not that easy though as the Denver defense still is a dominant force and something to be concerned about. Denver is coming off a bye, so they have a chance to get healthy to go up against the Chiefs.

Thirdly, the Broncos are not strong at quarterback. Whenever a team doesn’t have a great quarterback, that makes them beatable. As has been stated not only in this column but in numerous columns by far smarter minds, many teams, to a degree, can go as far as their quarterback can take them (Thus the rampant and colorful discussions this weeks about Alex Smith and this teams ceiling)

Lastly, Andy Reid and the Chiefs have done really well against AFC West division rivals. This Chiefs team destroyed  the Broncos last year in Denver and really should have defeated the Broncos at home, and thus far, the impressive win on the Chiefs schedule is their defeat of the Raiders in Oakland. Andy Reid coached Chiefs teams either compete closely with or defeat strongly their opponents in their own division.

Obviously, this Chiefs team can defeat the Broncos. There is the talent, and as we saw just this past week, anytime you take the field, you have the opportunity to win the game. Will the Chiefs be able to overcome their offensive issues and injuries on defense?

This game is vital for the Chiefs if they truly want to win and get a home playoff game. Make no mistake, it gets no easier from this point forward, and this game will either be the launching point towards a conference title or the launching point for a quarterback change.