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The Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) will visit the Denver Broncos (3-9) in Week 14 of the NFL season.
Kansas City had their five-game winning streak snapped last week at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24. The Chiefs have lost three straight against the Bengals, including the previous season's AFC Championship.
Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled in the loss, finishing 16-of-27 for 223 yards and two total touchdowns. He took a sack on third-and-three on the final possession, making Harrison Butker's potential game-tying field goal try that much further. Butker eventually missed from wide right from 55 yards out.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos Betting Odds
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Denver, meanwhile, embodies a team on a slow trout towards the end of the season, as the year has been a complete disaster. The Broncos' 10-9 loss to the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens last Sunday added another chapter to their underwhelming season.
The Ravens drove 17 plays and 59 yards on their final drive, aided by two Broncos penalties, to take the lead with 31 seconds remaining in the game. Russell Wilson, who finished 17-of-22 for 189 yards and no scores, got Denver across the 50-yard line.
However, kicker Brandon McManus missed a game-winning 63-yard field goal as time expired.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos Key Stats
Kansas City has had the same identity since Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid took the league by storm in 2018. Reid is the mastermind behind the creative offensive system, while Mahomes executes with unprecedented precision.
As a result, the Chiefs are top in the NFL in points per game (29.2) and yards per game. Mahomes, who leads the NFL by a wide margin with 3,808 yards passing and 30 passing touchdowns, hasn't lost a beat despite the loss of star WR Tyreek Hill this offseason.
Tight end Travis Kelce has stepped up his game a notch this season, leading the NFL with 12 receiving touchdowns. As much as the Chiefs are known for their passing game, they still rank 10th in rushing yards per attempt.
Isiah Pacheco, a rookie seventh-round pick from Rutgers, has stepped up nicely for the injured Clyde Edwards-Helaire, rushing for 66 yards and a score last week on 14 attempts.
Kansas City's defense is near the middle of the NFL in passing and rushing yards per attempt. However, the Chiefs see more passing attempts than most due to the game script.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones leads all NFL interior linemen in sacks with ten on the season. The team's tackles leader, linebacker Nick Bolton, is coming off a career-high 16 tackles against Cincinnati but is questionable this week with a groin injury.
Meanwhile, Denver seemed to be pushing all the right buttons this offseason to become a competitor to the Kansas City Chiefs' reign in the AFC West. They stole Green Bay OC Nathaniel Hackett and made him their head coach. The team also made a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Seahawks to land nine-time pro bowler Russell Wilson as the QB.
Instead, the Broncos are 32nd in points scored this season, and "Mr. Unlimited" is objectively having the worst season of his career. His 2.2% touchdown rate is almost two percentage points lower than his previous bottom mark in his other non-pro bowl season.
In addition, the injury to star running back Javonte Williams has done them no favors. Latavius Murray, Melvin Gordon (since released), and Mike Boone could only lead the rushing attack to 28th regarding yards per attempt.
Lost in the disaster that has been Hackett and Wilson is the play of the defense. The defense is in the top three in the NFL in points allowed (17 per game), yards allowed, passing touchdowns against (nine) and net yards per attempt (5.0).
The Broncos secondary has been outstanding, however, led by lockdown corner Patrick Surtain II and safeties Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos Betting Prediction
The chances that Russell Wilson has waited until Week 14 to finally go off are slim to none. It's not like the Kansas City defense is a bunch of slouches either, so it's best to assume Wilson and Denver will continue their season-long stretch of bad offensive performances.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs will face their best defensive competition since they only scored 26 points against the LA Rams. If they can't cross the 30-point threshold, it's almost guaranteed that the two teams won't reach a combined 44 points on the night.
Prediction: Under 44 (-110)
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