We Must Protect This House!
Dating back to 1990 the Chiefs have posted a 13-5 record against the Broncos in Arrowhead. Though I would imagine most, if not all, of those victories came at the hands of a deafening Arrowhead Stadium, a site we're not likely to see this weekend. If you head on over to the mothership they're still touting tickets for sale which doesn't bode well for home field advantage either.
Last year's game at Arrowhead on November 11th marked the beginning of the Brodie Croyle era. Damon Huard led the Chiefs into halftime hanging onto an 8-6 lead before succumbing to an injury that would eventually supplant Croyle as the starter for the remainder of the season. Interestingly enough, we've got the same quarterback issue and the same quarterback starting this game.
Judging by the putrid [actual] attendance at the home opener against the Oakland Raiders, the crowd is unlikely to play much, if any, of a factor this weekend.
Larry, Larry, Larry!
The success of the Chiefs in Sunday's contest lies (or lays? Help!) on the shoulders of Larry Johnson. LJ was an important contributing factor when we placed the trifecta on the Broncos in three straight home victories from 2004-2006.
LJ, by the numbers, in career starts against the Broncos:
| Date | Att | Yds | TDs | W/L |
| 12/19/04 | 30 | 151 | 2 | W 45-17 |
| 12/04/05 | 30 | 140 | 2 | W 31-27 |
| 9/17/06 | 27 | 126 | 0 | L 6-9 (OT) |
| 11/23/06 | 34 | 157 | 1 | W 19-10 |
Granted the pre-2007 teams are drastically different than today's team but the same principle still holds true. Get LJ the ball. It's unlikely we'll see him approach 30 carries, especially with the addition of Jamaal Charles, but against a porous Denver defensive line the yards should/need to come aplenty.
Early And Often
I know this is a Captain Obvious sighting here but getting behind in this game is simply not an option. Not with our offense against their corners and especially not with the Broncos offense against whichever KC defense decides to show up that day.
The Chiefs have been miserable in the first half thus far while the Broncos have been the league's best. To be more exact, the Chiefs have scored 0 (!) first quarter points and 10 second quarter points. The Broncos, on the other hand, have notched 28 first quarter points and 44 second quarter points which puts them atop the first half scoring leaderboard.
This seems like an impossible task but it starts with our ability to run the ball. I don't want to sound like Herm but this is one scenario in which establishing the run and slowing the game down is pertinent.
Any other keys to victory on Sunday?