The Kansas City Chiefs are without their top two quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, but still hold a second-quarter lead over the 12-win Broncos in Week 17.
The Broncos need this win to keep their lead in the AFC West race as well as their grip on the No. 1 seed in the AFC. However, they need to get their offense going and get their top target, Courtland Sutton, who is off to a quiet start.
Courtland Sutton’s Slow Start
Sutton is closing in on 1,000 receiving yards on the season. But he hasn’t helped his chances of breaking that number in tonight’s game. The Broncos’ offense is struggling against a Chiefs defense that is only playing for pride.
Three points and losing to Chris Oladokun is not going to encourage Broncos fans for the playoffs and a potential winner-take-all divisional game in Week 18.
Sutton has only one target in the first half so far, with no catches. The Broncos need to feed him to get this offense in a groove.
Late in the second quarter, Sutton got in on the action with two catches for 11 yards. He saw three other targets that didn’t connect. The Broncos needed a touchdown on this possession and couldn’t get it. Sutton looked to have reeled in a touchdown catch on third down, but a late breakup by the Chiefs’ secondary made Denver settle for a field goal before half. The Chiefs get the ball out of halftime and could punish the Broncos.
Sutton is the 24th-ranked wide receiver in PFSN’s WR Impact metric with an impact score of 78.9. He is Bo Nix’s most reliable target and will draw the most attention from opposing defenses. That hasn’t stopped him from showing up in big moments from Denver, but they’ll need him big time in the second half.
The Broncos keep looking his way after getting two catches on five targets in their final first-half drive. Sutton has to capitalize on the absence of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie for Kansas City and make the weaker secondary pay. The Broncos are the better team, but haven’t been tonight. The Chiefs are holding their own, but Denver can’t afford to allow them to hang around.
The Broncos’ defense is doing its job as it usually does. They are one of the top units in the NFL and have held Kansas City to only 79 yards in the first half. If the defense keeps it up, Sutton and the offense get going, and they don’t blunder on special teams, they should be able to take care of business in the second half.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
