Chiefs vs. Broncos: The 7 most important storylines to follow

The Chiefs play calling has to be better on both sides of the ball

I think most of the Chiefs problems are still stemming from the play calling. I might be one of the biggest Andy Reid supporters in Chiefs Kingdom, but even I have to say he really hasn’t had his best stuff in the last few weeks. It seems like, when the team’s back is against the wall, he passes when he should run and he runs when he should pass.

For instance, the running play on 2nd-and-14 in the fourth quarter. I get it, he was trying to catch the Texans off guard by running on what would 99 percent of the time be a passing situation. The problem is, we didn’t really have a good rhythm in the run game the entire day. The only thing that worked consistently against the Texans was the pass. This was a major play that put us in a terrible situation on a drive where we absolutely had to score.

It’s not just the offense. The defensive play calling has been just as terrible if not moreso. I’ve been trying to decide whether our defense just lacks talent or if it’s the coaching, and I’m starting to lean toward the latter. I know we have injuries, and I know our talent isn’t top shelf, but doesn’t it seem like play after play our defensive players are out of position?

Take the final fourth down play the Texans ran on offense to seal the game. Call me crazy, but calling cover zero on this play and forcing our average to below-average corners to make a play to win the game against one of the best receiving corps in the entire league seems like the wrong call. Not to mention, we hadn’t touched Watson all day. It seemed like every time we rushed more than five he burned us over the middle for an easy pass.

I’m not saying don’t send pressure. The players need to execute better, but the Chiefs seemed to play right into their hand and left a below average secondary short handed. This fan base has seen time and again this isn’t a recipe for success. Highsight is 20/20, and Watson is a unique threat who can beat you on the ground and through the air, so I’ll cut Spagnuolo some slack here. However, he’s got to be better.

Both sides are lucky that we’re 4-2 and not 3-3. They have a short week to get ready for a team that the advanced statistics have ranked 22nd in the league. They need to get better, and I expect they’ll get better against this team.

My Prediction: Chiefs 31, Broncos 21

Look, I’ve predicted the Chiefs would blow out the Indianapolis Colts and narrowly beat the Houston Texans. I was wrong on both accounts. My confidence was in the coaching staff, and I thought we’d see some significant improvements from them. They’ve been doing this a long time, and their head man is one of the best in the business.

Andy Reid just hasn’t had his best stuff the last two weeks, and the rest of the coaching staff hasn’t either. The big key here is this is a divisional game and Reid has absolutely owned the AFC West for the last three seasons. This Broncos team will give us a tough game, but they’re by no means the toughest we’ve faced.

Given both teams have injuries, I give the edge here to the best quarterback. Mahomes has performed well against the Broncos, even shorthanded, and I expect him to do so on Thursday night. Given this team doesn’t have a great passing game, I expect Spagnuolo and staff to focus heavily on stopping the run and surprise us all with an above-average performance.

In the end, this Chiefs team is just too good to lose three in a row—let alone to a Broncos team that, while on a nice little run of their own, is still likely on the outside looking in when January rolls around.