Around the AFC West: Philip Rivers fades, Raiders embarrass themselves

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos, coming off two impressive wins with Drew Lock under center, traveled to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The hope was that with some new blood, they would be able to put together a competitive game. While the weather conditions certainly didn’t help, the Broncos could do nothing on either side of the ball.

The Denver defense struggled mightily (and that might be the understatement of the century) against the best tight end in the NFL, Travis Kelce, and they also gave up a huge play to Tyreek Hill. They were able to get a little pressure on Patrick Mahomes, but overall struggled against the Chiefs high-powered offense.

The Denver offense struggled as well. Drew Lock showed that he was a rookie when he struggled to diagnose different blitzes and was hit 10 times and sacked multiple times as well. He also threw an interception in the end zone to Juan Thornhill.

Credit goes to Kansas City’s defense, a unit that has been playing better in recent weeks. They shut down the Denver offense completely, holding them to just 3 points and a total of 9 on the season. Denver will need to look for some answers in the upcoming draft, particularly on the offensive line, so they can protect their rookie quarterback who certainly shows promise.

The Broncos had some injury scares throughout the game, including tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver Courtland Sutton, but both were able to return to game action. The Broncos will look to get healthy as they head into the final two games of the season, having been eliminated from the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos host the Detroit Lions next week in a game that (similar to the Chargers and Raiders) has no implications for the playoffs. The Broncos have been clearly eliminated and although they tried to make a statement against the Chiefs last week, they failed miserably.

At this point, the rest of the season is about getting Drew Lock real game experience and scout the pieces (like an offensive line) to place around him. The Broncos might be better served to take a loss here, but I don’t think they will. The Lions have real issues that I don’t think they overcome in this showdown.

Opening line odds for the Broncos in Week 16: -7.0.

Game time is 3:05 p.m.