5 things to watch as the Chiefs host the Broncos in Week 10

It took until Week 10 for the (8-0) Kansas City Chiefs to host a division rival. Sunday at noon, the (5-4) Denver Broncos will face the NFL’s only unbeaten team on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

This will be the third matchup the Chiefs have had against the Broncos’ second-year head coach Sean Payton. Last season, Kansas City handled business at home, but registered a 24-9 defeat in Denver.

Now contending for an AFC playoff berth, Payton and the Broncos are hoping to upset the Chiefs again — this time with rookie quarterback Bo Nix at the helm. Denver is also looking for a bounce-back performance after Week 9’s 41-10 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Here are five things to watch in this AFC West showdown.

1. Maintaining a rhythm in the Chiefs’ passing attack

5 things to watch as the Chiefs host the Broncos in Week 10

Over the last two games, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has completed 74% of his passes and thrown five touchdowns (against one tipped-up interception) as he led an offense that converted 71% of its third-down attempts.

While the rhythm established since wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins entered the picture is obvious, the Broncos have shown the ability to slow that momentum. When targeted, Pro Football Reference says that Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II has allowed a passer rating of just 55.4 this season, while leading the team in interceptions (3) and passes defended (6).

He leads a Broncos pass defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards per game (186.6) this season. Since it may be harder to manufacture open space for Hopkins (and tight end Travis Kelce) on Sunday, it will test Mahomes’ patience to continue his clean play through consistently tighter coverage.

2. Protecting Patrick Mahomes

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football,” Kansas City’s quarterback was sacked a season-high four times. This doomed several possessions where the team could have scored. Incredibly, PFF didn’t charge any offensive linemen with a sack; each one happened because Mahomes held onto the ball for a long time.

In truth, it was one of left tackle Wanya Morris’ cleaner performances of the season. Over a season-high 82 snaps, he not only kept Mahomes clean, but committed no penalties; in the previous game, he had been flagged four times.

This speaks to the talent on Tampa Bay’s interior defensive line. Defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey were relentless, eventually getting to Mahomes on longer dropbacks. The Broncos also have pass rushers to watch; Denver has the league’s second-most sacks.

Defensive lineman Zach Allen leads the team in quarterback hits (17) — primarily rushing from inside — but edge rusher Nik Bonitto tops the unit with six sacks. Edge rusher Jonathan Cooper and tackle Jonathan Franklin-Myers (who have combined for 9.5 sacks) will also be working to penetrate the protection.

3. Making life hard on Bo Nix

The Broncos’ rookie quarterback has started all nine games this season — and has certainly had impressive moments. However, the Broncos’ scoring output has been the lowest against the toughest competition:

6 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers
10 points against the New York Jets
16 points against the Los Angeles Chargers

Those three teams rank among the league’s top 10 in points allowed per game. The Chiefs are also in that group. Shutting him down will start up front by pressuring Nix on dropbacks; he has the lowest yards per attempt under pressure (4.2) among full-time starting quarterbacks this season.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones and his teammates will be smelling blood in the water — but those opportunities will be set up by the defense continuing to be strong against the run. Kansas City leads the league in first-down rushing yards per attempt (3.2).

4. Patching up holes in coverage

Over the last two games, the Chiefs’ pass defense has appeared to feel the absence of cornerback Jaylen Watson. To put it simply, there has been room for opposing quarterbacks to throw downfield.

Tight ends have also been a problem for Kansas City’s defense — but Denver doesn’t have a consistent presence at that position. Third-year player Lucas Krull — a native of Kansas City suburb Shawnee, Kansas — is the team’s leading tight end with eight catches for 75 yards.

And outside of No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton, the Broncos have a mixed bag of pass-catchers and skill levels; the Chiefs’ coverage should be able to handle the challenge.

But Denver could present defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with a tough decision: how to best utilize cornerback Trent McDuffie’s elite coverage skills — because Sutton may not be the best individual matchup for McDuffie. Cornerback Joshua Williams’ size and physicality, however, may make him the cornerback best suited to cover Sutton — and prove his value to the secondary.

5. More rotation at running back

Kansas City’s starting running back Kareem Hunt has had at least 21 carries in four consecutive games — and he opened the week on the injury report as a limited participant with a quad injury. While he was upgraded to a full participant — and will play against Denver — he’s flirting with pains that could add up. The Chiefs need to be proactive about preventing those.

In this season’s small sample size, running back Samaje Perine has proven to be a capable ball carrier, showing the same bruising, pushing style that Hunt has used to keep the Chiefs ahead of the sticks.

And since rookie Carson Steele may still be lingering in the dog house from two fumbles early in the season, it would be a good time for veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire to return. After working through his PTSD issues — which he discussed in Friday’s episode of “The Pivot” podcast — he’s been on the 53-man roster for a few weeks. So far, though, the team hasn’t had the roster room to make him active on a game day.