The Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. So, talking heads have been analyzing the game all week. On “The Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, Mike Mayock made an appearance. He spoke about the Broncos and Chiefs, saying, “You can’t beat yourself” as advice to the Broncos. That said, let’s see how Denver can pull off the upset.
How the Broncos Beat the Chiefs
Mayock said, “Bo Nix is such a good fit there. And Sean (Payton) gets so much out of his quarterbacks. But I think he’s hit a little bit of a spot where a lot of teams now have a lot of tape on him. And they’re getting more familiar with what Sean’s trying to do and how they’re trying to do it.”
He then said what the Broncos’ priority should be at this point in the season, saying, “So, he’s at a point now where he’s gotta take care of the football and still be functional and still help them win games.”
What Mayock said, Nix specifically has to take care of the ball, be functional, and help Denver win games this week. A Broncos win in Week 11 puts the Chiefs’ odds to win the division at just 3%. And the Chiefs’ playoff odds would sit at 46.4%.
But if the Chiefs win in Week 11, Kansas City’s odds to win the division jump to 20%. And the Chiefs’ odds to make the playoffs jump to 72.1%.
Mayock continued, “You can’t let them run the ball at all. And they’ve struggled a little bit there. And they’ve had some guys hurt. But you can’t let them have that other avenue to give (Patrick) Mahomes a break and some relief, where he doesn’t have to be the man every play.”
He then gives the game-winning warning, “So you gotta take care of the run game number one. … You can’t make mistakes. You can’t beat yourself. You gotta make (the) Kansas City (Chiefs) beat ya.”
If the Broncos can stop the run game, it’s going to come down to slot wide receiver Rashee Rice against nickel cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has to pick his spots when to call zone coverage, given the defensive line’s potency, and when to call man coverage and leave McMillian on an island.
The Chiefs’ offense is No. 4 in PFSN’s Offense Impact Score, while the Broncos’ defense is No. 1 in PFSN’s Defense Impact Score. It’s going to be strength on strength. Imagine Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg.