Chiefs vs. Broncos: Inside The Enemy Camp
Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE
The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Prior to the season, most Chiefs fans were hoping this game would be a showdown for first place in the AFC West and a chance for KC to take revenge on Peyton Manning for snubbing them during his free agency tour.
Unfortunately, after one of the most disappointing starts in franchise history, the Chiefs don’t have much to play for except to spoil their opponents.
I had a chance this week to sit down with Kim Constantinesco, senior editor of FanSided’s Broncos site Predominately Orange. Kim is a credentialed member of the Broncos media and is one of FanSided’s longest-tenured and most respected editors.
Let’s go inside the enemy camp with Kim and see if we can’t get a little incite on KC’s next opponent.
I thought that Manning might get weaker as the season went on, given his age and injury issues. Kind of like how Brett Favre was toward the end of his career, in particular, his season with the Jets. Instead, Manning appears to be getting stronger. So far, so good. Do you think he’ll be able to keep it up come December?
Assuming the offensive line continues to protect him the way they have been, I think Manning will be able to keep it up through the end of the season and into the playoffs. He’s shown no signs of letting off the gas, even passing for over 300 yards in six of his last eight games.
If Manning didn’t have a fully functioning team surrounding him and the offense, things would likely be very different. When the offense has struggled, it’s been defense and special teams keeping them in games, and even winning games for the team. Bottom line is that even though Manning gets all the headlines, the Broncos are 7-3 because of Manning and a lot of other factors.
When John Elway took over in Denver, a lot of folks, myself included, thought it was probably a huge mistake to put a novice in such an important position. How would you grade his performance so far?
I would give John Elway an A-. He’s made all the right moves from hiring John Fox as head coach to recruiting Manning, and even letting Tim Tebow walk away after an incredibly entertaining season last year. Elway is a “win now” guy, and it’s evident in how the team has drafted and played free agency. Since retiring from football, Elway has been successful in many business endeavors, so it’s not really surprising to see him do well as the VP of football operations.
Willis MaGahee looks as though he is going to miss some time. What other options do the Broncos have in the backfield and how do you feel about them?
The Broncos will probably go running back by committee. They have rookie Ronnie Hillman who has picked up some steam in the past few weeks, as well as Lance Ball who’s a great receiving threat out of the backfield. The team also has former first round draft pick Knowshon Moreno who hasn’t dressed since the beginning of the season. Moreno will dress now, and the Broncos have Jeremiah Johnson on the practice squad if need be. I’d prefer Johnson dressing over Moreno, but Johnson only has 14 NFL carries to his name.
If you could take one player from the Chiefs and put him on the Broncos, who would it be and why?
Give me Jamaal Charles. How’s that for a fill-in for McGahee? The Broncos are 19th in rushing and it’s one of their biggest weaknesses right now. Having Charles would make the play-action pass that much more effective.
Who are some young Broncos players KC fans may not have heard of yet but who we should keep an eye on Sunday?
The Broncos’ secondary has second year CB Chris Harris and second year safety Rahim Moore. They’ve really filled some deep gaps that the Broncos have had for years.
Your game prediction?
Broncos – 37 Chiefs – 14. The Broncos are on a roll right now, and a 1-9 team isn’t going to going to detract this team.