Sean Payton stopped the bleeding last October for the Denver Broncos. This year, he hopes to deal some damage himself.
The Kansas City Chiefs owned the Denver Broncos outright during an embarrassing streak (for Denver) that ran from September 2015 through last October. Every year, twice a year, the Chiefs strung together consecutive victories time and again—whether at home or on the road—over a stretch of 16 total games.
As we said, embarrassing.
Then last year, something happened. Payton found a way to put away the Chiefs in at least one of their two annual meetings, giving the Broncos an even 1-1 record against them in 2023. It was a considerable monkey off of the backs of the Broncos and it provided a ray of hope that Denver could be competitive again in the AFC West alongside the Chiefs despite their run of 8 straight division titles.
As the two teams prepare to meet in 2024 for the first time with a visit from Denver to Arrowhead Stadium, Payton is hoping his new quarterback Bo Nix will enjoy a fresh perspective on the Chiefs and help put together a new chapter in the franchise's history.
The only problem is that the Chiefs are currently undefeated and in the midst of a historic run at another Super Bowl title—a third in a row, which would be the NFL's first three-peat champ. After having already taken out several top contenders, are the Broncos really going to be the team that stands in the way?
There's something to be said for these divisional rival games and the odd ways they can mess with what's expected. Denver knows Kansas City better than most teams given how often they play each other and sometimes that insider knowledge allows a team to have an advantage over other opponents, even if their place in the standings is far off from where the Chiefs are.
One major component of this showdown will be seeing which players are healthy enough to play and which will be forced to sit out as inactives. Let's take a closer look at the players who are going to be inactive for Week 10.
Broncos inactive players for Week 10
- QB Zach Wilson
- TE Greg Dulcich
- S Keidron Smith
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
- OL Frank Crum
- CB Kris Abrams-Draine
- DL Eni Uwazurike
Chiefs inactive players for Week 10
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB
- CJ Hanson, OL
- Ethan Driskell, OT
- Marlon Tuipulotu, DL
- Cam Thomas, DE