The Kansas City Chiefs will play the most important regular season game in franchise history at Sports Authority Field on Sunday Night Football. With the news that Peyton Manning will play this week, the 9-0 Chiefs with two weeks to prepare will be an 8-point underdog to the 8-1 Broncos. Though few in the world of NFL prognosticators predict Kansas City to defeat Denver, here are a few things I would do to prepare the Chiefs for Sunday's game.
Score touchdowns in the Red Zone
The Chiefs rank 26th in the NFL in TD% in the Red Zone, converting just 48.3% of Red Zone trips to 7 points. The Kansas City Chiefs must improve that statistic in the second half of the season, as the schedule gets tougher and six out of the remaining seven games come against good QBs who will score (Manning (twice), Phillip Rivers (twice), Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III). I would like to see the Chiefs consider any field position inside, say, the 25-yard line as 4-down territory. 4th-and-3 from the 15, or 4th-and-2 from the 10? Go for it. Even fake the FG once. The Chiefs cannot settle for three points vs one of the best offenses in NFL history. Meanwhile, Kansas City's defense is not prone to giving up long scoring drives, so even if the 4th down play fails, they'll pin the Broncos deep, giving the defense a chance to get a turnover or 3-and-out to flip the field position again.
Stay aggressive on defense
I'm not necessarily talking about blitzing all game, even though I think that should and will be a part of defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's game plan. The Chiefs have played tight man-to-man press coverage all season and that cannot change. Denver is more of a quick strike passing game; relying on slants, screens, and drags to beat the coverage underneath. The Chiefs have got to take that way. CB Brandon Flowers, who figures to draw the assignment of covering Wes Welker in the slot, has got to disrupt Welker's patterns. In the middle of the field KC has got to hit TE Julius Thomas at the line and then let the athletic Eric Berry break up the pass at the second level. Marcus Cooper has been very good covering the deep routes, which bodes well since he will likely be assigned coverage to Denver's best deep threat, Eric Decker. Most importantly, the Chiefs, who have remarkably decreased the missed tackles since last season, have got to wrap up and tackle the receivers when they do make the catch. Don't let Manning turn those 3-yard patterns into 15-yard gains.
Find a second option on offense
It's taken nine games and yet the Chiefs still don't have a consistent offensive weapon other than Jamaal Charles. As they make their push into the playoffs, another option has to emerge. To me, it doesn't matter if it's a RB, TE, or WR, as long as it happens sooner than later, and Week 11 vs Denver would be a great time. My pick is Dwayne Bowe. Bowe got the big contract this past offseason and is on pace to set career lows in catches, yards, and touchdowns. It's certainly not a problem with effort, as Bowe has been phenomenal all season long in downfield blocking, and we all know that egotistical, effort-lacking WRs don't block. Bowe doesn't have the speed to get open deep, but he has the size and strength to fight for position and catch passes in tight coverage. He also has some of the best sideline awareness of any WR I've personally watched play; he's marvelous at keeping his toes in bounds and making the acrobatic plays on the outside. Kansas City has got to get him the ball more often, even if it means forcing into coverage once in a while.
Capitalize on every Denver mistake
The Broncos didn't get to be 8-1 by screwing up, and they won't make many mistakes on Sunday Night. So when they do, it's imperative the Chiefs make them pay. They've got to score off of every turnover; recover every loose ball; capitalize on every penalty; hit Manning every time he hesitates or a play breaks down; and seize momentum when the opportunity presents. The Chiefs aren't good enough let opportunities escape, so they have to pounce on the Broncos by punishing their every false move.
Win the battle of special teams
If we grant that both team's strength (Denver's offense and Kansas City's defense) neutralize the other team's strength, and that neither Denver's defense nor Kansas City's offense is anything about which to write home, the game could well be decided on special teams. The Chiefs must contain Trindon Holliday, as the Broncos figure to score enough points without any big plays from the return game. Meanwhile, if Dexter McCluster or Quinton Demps can break a few big returns it would be monumental to give QB Alex Smith a short field. K Ryan Succop, if called upon to kick, cannot miss any FG attempts and P Dustin Colquitt cannot shank any punts--he and the kick coverage unit have to to pin Manning and the Broncos deep a couple of times. In 2003, the Chiefs started 9-0 and got multiple big plays from Dante Hall in the return game in beating the Broncos that season. Dave Toub, KC's special teams coach, has got to find a way to make two big plays on special teams--block a kick, convert a fake kick to a first down, score a touchdown, punt the ball inside the 5-yard line multiple times.
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