The Kansas City Chiefs have arguably their biggest game of the season on Sunday. The Chiefs sit at 5-4 and are currently outside of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos are 8-2 and sit atop both the AFC and AFC West. If the Chiefs want to fight their way into the playoffs, the best way to do it is to try to reclaim the division. That starts by beating the Broncos on Sunday. The only problem is that the Broncos have one of the league's best defenses.
The Chiefs will hopefully have their starting offensive line back for the game, and Patrick Mahomes has the pass-catchers he needs to be successful. The one area where most thought they needed to improve was at running back. The Chiefs reportedly tried to trade for the New York Jets’ Breece Hall right up to the trade deadline, but inexplicably, they couldn’t get a deal done. So now they find themselves in a must-win game where they need to prove they can run the ball against one of the league’s best defenses.
The Chiefs have actually been an average team running the ball from a statistical standpoint. They rank 12th in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 121.2 yards. They also rank 17th in yards per carry with 4.4 yards. They have a talented offensive line, a quarterback who demands most of the defense’s attention, and a trio of running backs that can do just enough to be average. Kareem Hunt, in particular, has been really effective—but how long can he keep it up at 30 years old?
The Chiefs' ability to run the ball could determine whether they stay in the playoff hunt or fall further behind.
They now have to prove they can stay productive running the ball against a Denver defense that is 4th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game. You could argue that some of that success is due to them being 8-2 and their opponents having to play from behind, but Denver has played plenty of close games, and the Broncos are 1st in the NFL in rushing yards per carry allowed with just 3.6 yards. In other words, the Chiefs will have their work cut out for them when trying to run the ball on Sunday.
If anyone was thinking that K.C. should just abandon the run and keep the ball in the hands of their All-Pro quarterback, that approach has a major flaw, too. The Broncos are not only leading the NFL in sacks, but they also have 14 more sacks than the second-place team and are on pace to set a new record for sacks in a season. The Chiefs simply can’t abandon the run and allow the Broncos to pin their ears back and attack Patrick Mahomes down after down. They have to run the ball at Denver’s pass rushers and give Mahomes short-yardage situations to convert.
While it might have been easier for K.C. to attack the Broncos with the run game if they had traded for Breece Hall, that doesn’t mean they can’t run the ball without him. It sounds like Isiah Pacheco may not be ready for this game, so most of the work will have to be done by Kareem Hunt, rookie Brashard Smith, and the Chiefs’ offensive line. If they can collectively step up and get the job done, it will go a long way toward helping K.C. win this vital game. Here’s hoping K.C. fans aren’t regretting the Chiefs’ inactivity at the deadline after the game on Sunday.