The Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) will take on the Denver Broncos (5-2) Sunday afternoon in a pivotal AFC West matchup in Denver. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:25 Arrowhead time and will be broadcast on CBS from Empower Field at Mile High.
This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams, with the Chiefs winning the season opener 31-10.
Since then, the Broncos have lost just once, coming off a 30-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The Chiefs were undefeated until Sunday night, when they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 20-3 in a lackluster performance.
With the division in the balance, this matchup will carry weight in October and could have a big impact on the outcome of the season.
Here are five things to watch.
The Broncos had to fight back and cruised to five wins, with just one win coming by more than one possession this season.
One reason for their issues is their offense, which ranks 30th in the league in yards per game at 270, and quarterback Bo Nix has been the culprit.
While he kept his turnovers in check – just three interceptions – he averaged just 5.8 yards per completion, which was 29th in the NFL, and his inability to hit downfield passes stymied the Broncos’ offense. Nix played better against the Cardinals but still completed 51% of his passes in the win.
Nix is 3-2 in his career against the Chiefs, but two of his wins have come without Patrick Mahomes starting on the other side.
If Kansas City can limit what Nix can do downfield and put him in the pocket, the defense could have a big day.
It’s never a positive thing when a kicker makes the “Five Things to Watch” list back-to-back weeks, but a terrible performance last week put him back in the spotlight this week.
Butker went just one-for-three in the loss to the Chiefs and dropped to a 68% field goal percentage this season. The poor performance and growing issues led to speculation after the game that the Chiefs could bring in another kicker.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs announced they signed former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to the practice squad to challenge Butker. During his prime, Tucker was one of the league’s best, but he has been out of football since 2024 and was at the center of a highly publicized off-field scandal that led to a ten-game league suspension in 2025.
Bringing in another kicker was necessary, especially since Butker had to know his job wasn’t safe. Another poor performance could spell the end of the road for the Chiefs’ longtime kicker. Hopefully this will be the wake-up call Butker needs to turn his season around.
This week should feature some key third-down looks and will put both teams to the test.
The Broncos have one of the league’s best third-down defenses, allowing just a 33% conversion rate, which ranks second in the NFL. Their offense has been a different story, converting just 31% of their third-down attempts, which ranks second last in the NFL.
The Chiefs offense is in the middle of the pack converting on third downs, currently ranked 15th with a 39% conversion rate. A poor showing on third downs in Seattle sent them down the rankings, and things won’t get any easier this week against the Broncos.
On the other end, the Chiefs defense has been unusually bad on third down this year. They’ve allowed 43% of third-down conversions to opponents this season and were exploited by Seattle last week in third-and-long situations.
The Chiefs offense will face another tough test on third down, while the defense can use this week to improve.
The Chiefs defensive line needs a better week rushing the passer than last week. Against Seattle, the defense recorded zero sacks and two quarterback hits. This season, the Chiefs rank 29th in sacks (8) and 26th in pressures (50), according to Pro Football Reference.
The Chiefs’ defense is poor, with no player recording more than one sack and only one player with double-digit quarterback hits on the season — George Karlaftis with 15. The Chiefs’ high-dollar players, Karlaftis and Chris Jones, haven’t performed up to their usual standards, which could make age a reality for the 32-year-old Jones as he prepares for his career.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Ashton Gillotte both contributed, but neither put together a string of pass rushes. Rookie Peter Woods has also shown flashes as a run defender, but he has yet to make a mark as a pass rusher.
Fellow rookie R Mason Thomas flashed weekly, but finished with just one sack — against Denver — despite impressive pressure every game.
This week, they’ll face the challenge of a mobile quarterback in Nix, who has been sacked just nine times this season — four times in Week 1 against Kansas City.
The defense has been good this season, but the pass rush needs to step up to reach the next level.
5. Rashee Ricereturn of
After one of the worst passing performances of the Mahomes-and-Reid era, the Chiefs will receive an injection of talent at receiver with the return of Rashee Rice after missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Through four games, Rice has 190 yards on 13 receptions and a touchdown.
He appeared to build momentum with back-to-back 80+ yard games in Weeks 2 and 3, but didn’t record a catch in Week 4 when he injured his hamstring.
His presence will be a welcome sight for Mahomes, and it will be worth watching how much the Chiefs try to distribute the ball to him. This is what Mahomes said about Rice in his press conference on Wednesday.
“He’s a physical receiver,” Mahomes shared. “He does a great job inside zone concepts and things like that, getting himself open, as well as being physical against man. And so having him back there is going to be big for us because it’s going to help take the pressure off other guys to make plays and let them go out there and be themselves, and hopefully, we’ll have some success.”