Coming off a sluggish performance in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos must now travel to Arrowhead Stadium to battle a hungry Kansas City Chiefs team.
Denver used a strong defensive performance that included an interception Aqib Talib returned for a touchdown to start the season 1-0, but that barely masked the poor performance Peyton Manning and his offense put forth.
Now, the Chiefs will be looking to get a jump on the AFC West division lead, and they'll get no better chance all season than this Thursday night. However, they'll have to find a way to overcome a team that has won six games in a row against them.
Here, we'll take a look at how the Broncos may go about attacking the Chiefs on both sides of the ball.
Offensive Game Plan
The Broncos will still employ a run-first approach on offense, but the coaching staff must realize that Manning can't stay stuck in a rut all season.
Look for Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison to draw up some easy pass plays to start the game in order for Manning to get into a rhythm. Much of Manning's game is predicated on timing and a solid rhythm, and some quick passes to Owen Daniels and Emmanuel Sanders could help get him out of his funk.
Once he completes a few passes like that, look for Manning to try and take advantage of rookie cornerback Marcus Peters with Demaryius Thomas. Peters has a bright future in front of him, but Thomas, who caught a touchdown pass in each game against the Chiefs last season, will challenge him greatly.
Once Manning can prove he can still make tough throws, the Chiefs defense will have to back off, and the running lanes will open. Against Baltimore, Manning was unable to do this. If he has the same struggles against Kansas City, the Broncos will have a tough time moving the chains.
Manning is 6-0 against Kansas City as the Broncos' quarterback, but he'll need to play much better than he did against Baltimore if he is to improve to 7-0.
Defensive Game Plan
The Broncos were arguably the league's most impressive team on defense in Week 1. Still, the Ravens were able to do just about enough to sneak out of Denver with the victory.
Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith threw three touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 1, and the team was able to overcome J.J. Watt's efforts. The Chiefs will get the same type of ferocity from the Denver defense.
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will likely mix it up against Kansas City, throwing as many different looks with as many different players at Smith as possible. However, his defense's big challenge will be to contain tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce is easily Kansas City's biggest weapon in the passing game. T.J. Ward will be returning from a one-game suspension, and he will likely be primarily responsible for slowing down Kelce. Ward struggled against tight ends at times last year. Kansas City will be aware of that. Chad Jensen of MileHighHuddle.com noted the potential for Denver's defense to be even more impressive with Ward's return:
As dominant as the #Broncos defense was on Sunday, now imagine them with T.J. Ward.
— Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) September 15, 2015
As a result, Phillips needs to try and drop Brandon Marshall or Danny Trevathan into the backfield on occasion to get extra coverage on the big tight end. If Smith has to go elsewhere with the ball, he'll be doing it against either Talib or Chris Harris. That will be a matchup that favors the Broncos, no matter which receiver it's against.
DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller should be given the green light to come at Smith on nearly every play. Denver has enough support in the back end of the defense to allow for certain blitzes on nearly every snap.
This will force Smith to play a smart game, as the Broncos could make him and the Chiefs pay for any little mistake, as Talib did to Joe Flacco on Sunday.
Key Players and Matchups
Evan Mathis
The Broncos offensive line will be a question mark most of the season, partly because it has two rookies as starters. The line didn't look great against Baltimore.
As Rod Mackey of 9News.com reported, Evan Mathis accepts much of the blame for that. Mathis didn't get the benefit of practicing with the team throughout training camp, but with two rookies in the mix, a veteran needs to step in and play big. Mathis will need to be that guy going forward. Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post passed along Mathis' comments regarding his Week 1 performance:
Evan Mathis on Week 1: "I think that I was the worst of the group. ... Most of the stuff that went wrong with me was just technical stuff."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 14, 2015
If Manning is going to be successful this season, it is absolutely essential that he is protected long enough to find his targets down the field. Though Mathis didn't play great in Week 1, he's good enough to put the performance behind him. At the same time, the team has a very capable rookie in Max Garcia sitting behind him. Kubiak shouldn't be afraid to insert Garcia if Mathis doesn't look better.
Brandon McManus
In tight, defensive struggles, a good kicker can be invaluable. Brandon McManus was part of the difference in Week 1, kicking four field goals. He also joined Greg Zuerlein as the only kickers in NFL history to boot two field goals of at least 56 yards in the same game.
On top of that, he boomed each of his kickoffs out of the end zone.
It appears McManus has become the weapon the Broncos hoped they were getting when they released Matt Prater last season.
Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall was arguably Denver's best defensive player last season. He was possibly the best player on defense in Week 1 as well.
Marshall was all over the place, making plays in the backfield and getting after the quarterback. He is an excellent tackler who is also solid in pass coverage.
If there is any one player on the team who can pressure Smith, keep Jamaal Charles in check and stick with Kelce in coverage, it's Marshall.
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Phillip Gaines
If Peters draws Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders could be matched up with cornerback Phillip Gaines. Sanders led the Broncos with eight receptions against Baltimore, and Manning just missed him on a couple of passes that could have turned into big plays.
You can bet Manning and Thomas have worked on their timing in practice this week. Look for Manning to take a couple of deep shots down the field to Sanders.
Prediction
Though it is only Week 2, this is a big AFC West game. If Kansas City is going to win the division this year, Denver is an obvious road block.
The Broncos can draw on the psychological advantage that comes with beating the same team six times in a row. But the team will also be at a disadvantage by having to travel to one of the NFL's loudest stadiums on short notice.
This game will be every bit as tough as the Ravens game in Week 1, but the Denver defense will create just as many fits for Smith and his offense. In the end, the Broncos make one more play than the Chiefs.
Prediction: Broncos 17, Chiefs 13
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2567492-broncos-vs-chiefs-whats-the-game-plan-for-denver
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