Chiefs Could Use An ‘Old Reliable’ Weapon Against Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs have a revamped offense that they’re going to road test tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, but there is one “old reliable option that could be important. Tight end Travis Kelce has had plenty of success against Denver in his career, as Sam Jane of the Denver Post noted, and it could be a matchup the Chiefs try to use to get first downs and yards in crucial situations. 

According to Jane, Kelse has “had the Broncos number throughout his career, posting 1,663 yards against the Broncos, the most against any opponent. He led the Chiefs in receiving in both games against Denver last season, recording 91 yards on nine catches in the Nov. 16 contest and 36 yards on five catches in the Christmas game.” 

So where does that come from, exactly? According to Broncos coach Sean Payton, it’s the improvisation that makes Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes tough to defend. 

“Players with real good, savvy IQ like Kelce, those guys flourish with understanding areas that the quarterbacks are going to be in or want him to be in with a play that has moved into its second element,” Payton said. “You build up that chemistry over time, and you begin to think alike.”

That means a match coverage scenario can quickly turn into man-to-man, and Payton added that it’s important to know how to rush the quarterback to prevent mismatches from resulting in big plays, even if Kelce isn’t what he once was at 36. 

“A lot of it depends on the type of defense you’re playing, but if you’re in match coverage, then it ends up playing like man. I think it’s important you understand how to rush certain quarterbacks to avoid maybe six or seven of those plays that get extended,” Payton added.

The specific weakness here is that linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad can struggle to cover receivers in the middle of the field, and former linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga also got beat for big plays by Kelce last year. 

But the Broncos did make a significant change that worked after that. They subbed in Jahdae Barron, and he matched up six times against Kelce in coverage last year and allowed just two catches on three targets for 14 yards, per Jane. 

That’s one possible adjustment, but there may be others coming. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has a lot of depth to choose from, and he’ll probably plug in different players situationally to get the job done. The Chiefs will counter, though, which is where running back Kenneth Walker III could be especially imporant. It’s an important game-within-a-game matchups to watch for, tomorrow night, and it’s one of many.