December 10, 2022
By Fred Liggett
sports.lstribune08@gmail.com
Why hello Denver, how are you doing this year? It’s week 14 of the 18 week NFL season and for the first time all season the Kansas City Chiefs are set to play AFC West Division rival Denver Broncos. In an odd quirk to the 2022 season schedule the Chiefs will have played more than 75 percent of their season before their first kickoff against the Broncos. Before the regular season comes to an end next month the Chiefs will have played Denver twice in five weeks.
The Chiefs visit to Denver this week comes at a time when both teams are coming in off from disappointing losses. Chiefs lost on the road in Cincinnati 27-24 and the Broncos lost at Baltimore 10-9. The Chiefs loss puts them in a tie for the AFC lead with Buffalo at 9-3. The Broncos loss runs a little deeper as they now reside in last place of the AFC West with a 3-9 mark.
This long time rivalry continues with a few fresh faces involved. The Chiefs will get their first up close look at first year Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett and new to the Broncos franchise QB Russell Wilson. Hackett hails from the Kansas City area and is a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School.
This series has gone well recently for the Chiefs having won 13 straight against Denver. This streak is a franchise record for most consecutive wins against a single opponent. The last meeting was a close one as the Chiefs pulled out a 28-24 win thanks to a defensive score. The Chiefs aim to keep the streak intact with another win this week. A win would also keep another impressive streak alive as a Chiefs win and a LA Chargers loss would give the Chiefs a seventh straight AFC West Division title.
Injuries are a concern for both teams entering this matchup. The Chiefs had everyone practice on Wednesday and only three players were limited but one of them is Wide Receiver Kadarious Toney. The Broncos came to work on Wednesday with six players who were not able to practice.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has enjoyed enormous success against AFC West Division rivals but none more so than vs Denver. Due to the Broncos struggling under a first year head coach fans will expect a Chiefs defeat of Denver. No matter how determined the host Broncos are the Chiefs will deliver another victory to their win column and return home at 10-3. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.
