The Kansas City Chiefs don't play the Denver Broncos until week 13, December 6th at Arrowhead Stadium. I can't remember a year when we first played the Broncos so late in the season.
So far in our previews/predictions for the Chiefs 2009 season, we've got them sitting at 5-6. Yes, Chris unexpectedly picked an upset over the Chargers last week. You can view all of the previews here.
Despite what's expected, just a few wins for each team at this point, it should be an interesting matchup. Both sides don't like the other. Don't let the small win totals fool you - this rivalry is still alive. Some of the younger Chiefs fans may even look to the Broncos as the No. 1 rival since, well, the Raiders have had few good seasons in the last decade.
December 6th is also a special day for another reason. The Chiefs will retire the jersey of Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas at halftime. So, expect this crowd to be fired up even though the windchill will be low and the possibility of flurries strongly exists.
For this preview, I've gone down the roster, position by position, and decided who has the advantage. Offensively, it's the Broncos, and I think any objective Chiefs fan knows that. How far will that take the Broncos? Frankly, I think they'll have a good offense but they will never become a perennial playoff contender or a Super Bowl winner with Kyle Orton at quarterback. Ever.
It's a quarterback driven league. The one they've got right now is, in my opinion, average. The one they let slip away would have been the key to a Super Bowl but, well, we won't go there.
Defensively, the Chiefs have the overall advantage. I think we've done a better job of collecting the right players. With our defensive line, we're better off in terms of making a smoother transition to the 3-4. Just my two cents (which nearly every Broncos fan will likely disagree with but I ask you....who is Ronnie Fields? Yeah, exactly.)
After the jump is who I believe holds the advantage at each position group. This isn't much of a preview but we've talked so much about the Broncos downfall that I don't think we need to rehash everything. New QB. Lost 7 RBs last year. Defense isn't very good. Josh McDaniels.
Overall Offense: Broncos
- QB: Kan
- RB: Den
- WR: Den
- OL: Den
- TE: Den
Overall Defense: Chiefs
DL: Kan
LB: Kan
DBs: Even
Prediction: At home the Chiefs win because of Bronco mistakes: 27-20. That makes us 6-6 on the season.