Broncos Have A Serious Advantage Hasn’t Been Discussed Much

There’s been a lot of conversation about who has the edge in Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Offense vs. defense, positional analysis and matchups have all been analyzed to an incredible level, but the Broncos have one clear advantage that hasn’t been talked about yet. 

Special teams. 

It’s fairly obvious at this point. Harrison Butker has been unreliable, to the point where the Chiefs were compelled to bring in Justin Tucker as competition on their practice squad, and Tucker seems to be acting as a sort of de facto kicking coach as the two kickers compared notes. 

Meanwhile, Wil Lutz has been reliable. Not spectacular, but he’s been making the “short” 40-50 yard field goals that Butker has been missing, and Lutz could still go on another run with game-deciding field goals.

That’s a big edge in a game like this. Neither offense has been consistently explosive, although the Chiefs did dominate their first meeting with running back Kenneth Walker III. Presumably that advantage will be diminished, and as many have pointed out, Denver’s tackling couldn’t possibly be worse. 

The Broncos also have an edge at punter, which isn’t as important as kicker, but it could be significant in a tight game. Chiefs punter Matt Araiza has a big leg that he still shows from time to time, and he’s more than capable of flipping the field in a field position game. 

But Denver punter Jeremy Crawshaw is in a different league when it comes to one specific aspect of the job. He’s probably the best positional punter in the NFL right now, and if you want someone who can pin opponents inside their own 20-yard line, Crawshaw can get that done. 

The return game edge probably also goes to Denver, mostly due to the explosiveness of return man Marvin Mims Jr. We haven’t seen Mims break off that long return that everyone knows is coming at some point, but this could be the week. 

The altitude could play a huge role in the kicking game as well. The availability of long field goals may cause both coaches to be more conservative when it comes to fourth downs, as field goals will be available from 60 yards and in, at least in theory. 

This could produce some nerve-wracking moments for Kansas City given Butker’s recent struggles. This is a game that could easily come down to a last-second field goal, and the Broncos have to feel a lot better about their chances than the Chiefs do in that scenario.