Kansas City is Traditionally Tough to Beat at Arrowhead

Since Mike Shanahan became Denver’s head coach in ‘95 the Broncos own a 3-10 (.231) record at Arrowhead. The Broncos haven’t won back-toback contests in KC since winning four straight from ‘76-79. The Chiefs are 11-5 (.688) vs. the AFC West at home dating back to 2003. The Broncos have lost four of their last six AFC West road contests dating back to a 19- 10 setback at Arrowhead (11/23/06). KC is 4-1 all-time against the Broncos in September games at Arrowhead, including a streak of four straight wins. Dating back to ‘90, the Chiefs own a 43-27 (.614) regular season record during the month of September, the league’s second-best mark over that span. Only Denver is better in September over that span at 47-24 (.662).

RB Larry Johnson Typically Excels vs. Denver
Kansas City is 21-7 (.750) when RB Larry Johnson tops the 100-yard mark. Johnson had a season-high 121 yards vs. Atlanta (9/21). He owns 100+ yards in all four of his career starts against Denver, averaging 143.5 rushing ypg. Johnson has averaged 157.5 yards of total offense and has accumulated fi ve TDs in those four starts. Kansas City owns a 3-1 record in those games, outscoring Denver by an average margin of 25.3 to 15.8. Johnson missed both of the Chiefs outings vs. Denver in 2007. The Broncos have lost fi ve consecutive games when allowing a 100-yard RB.

More Chiefs-Broncos Rushing Stats
In its last four home wins vs. Denver, Kansas City has outgained the Broncos by an average margin of 53.0 rushing ypg. In total, Kansas City has racked up 686 ground yards and fi ve TDs in those four victories compared to 474 yards and four TDs for the Broncos.

Denver traditionally boasts one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks. However, the Broncos have registered just two 100-yard rushers in their last 11 games. Unfortunately, both of those outings have come against the Chiefs. In two career starts vs. KC Denver RB Selvin Young has combined for 37 carries for 265 yards with one TD. In his nine other career starts, Young has averaged just 54.7 yards per game.

KC Hopes to Repeat History With Its 2008 QB Trifecta
The 2008 Chiefs are just the fourth team since the AFL-NFL merger to start three different QBs in the fi rst three games of a non-strike season. Remarkably, the three previous teams to do it all reached the playoffs. The ‘76 Rams won the NFC West, while the ‘88 Browns and the ‘97 Jaguars both earned AFC Wild Card berths. Interestingly, the Browns and Jaguars both advanced to the AFC Championship Game the following season.

Broncos QB Jay Cutler vs. the Chiefs
Broncos QB Jay Cutler is 2-0 as a starter vs. Kansas City. In those two contests, he has completed 37 of 56 passes (66.1%) for 436 yards with fi ve TDs and one INT, numbers that translate into a 111.9 rating. Cutler is seeking to become just the sixth QB to boast a 3-0 career record as a starter against the Chiefs. QBs Bubby Brister, Jim Harbaugh, Jim McMahon, Phil Simms and Vinny Testaverde all own that distinction. Colts QB Peyton Manning also won his fi rst three starts against Kansas City and currently owns a 4-1 regular season mark against the Chiefs. Overall, Cutler has produced a 5-4 record as a starter against AFC West competition, going 2-0 vs. Oakland and 1-2 vs. San Diego.

Cutler owns a perfect 7-0 record in games when he posts a 100.0+ rating. He compiled a career-high 141.0 rating when he completed 20 of 27 passes for 244 yards with four TDs and no INTs at INVESCO Field (12/9/07). Dating back to 2002, the Broncos are 29-1 (.967) when their QB registers a 100.0-rating game. Cutler is 2-3 in games when he throws two or more INTs. The Chiefs are 30-4 (.882) at Arrowhead dating back to ‘95 when the club forces two or more INTs. Dating back to 2002, Kansas City owns a 21-6 (.778) record in all games when it registers two or more INTs.

Staying Positive in the Turnover Column is Crucial vs. Denver
The Chiefs have won 18 consecutive games at Arrowhead with a positive turnover ratio, the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL. Kansas City hasn’t lost a home outing with a positive turnover differential since 2002. The Chiefs are 8-2 under Herm Edwards when positive. The Chiefs are 45-4 (.918) at Arrowhead when positive dating back to ‘95. KC has committed fi ve turnovers in its last two contests.

The Broncos have forced at least one takeaway in their last 17 victories. Denver has won seven straight games when even or positive in the turnover column and has lost nine of its last 10 contests when negative. Denver is 5-21 (.192) on the road with a negative turnover ratio dating back to 2001. The Chiefs have lost their last two meetings with the Broncos and have gone a combined -6 (1 take/7 gives) in those games. In total, Kansas City has been even or negative in its last six meetings with Denver. The last time the Chiefs were positive against the Broncos was a 45-17 win at Arrowhead (12/19/04) when KC was +3 (3 takes/0 gives).

Chiefs-Broncos Scoring Stats
Kansas City’s defense will be tested by a Denver squad that leads the league by averaging 38.0 ppg. During the Mike Shanahan era, the Broncos own a remarkable 73-4 (.948) record in the regular season when scoring 30 points or more, including a 3-0 mark in 2008. KC’s defense has permitted 23.7 offensive ppg in its fi rst three contests.

The Chiefs are 53-9 (.855) at Arrowhead dating back to ‘95 when holding foes to 20 points or less. KC owns an 8-3 (.727) regular season mark against Denver over that same span when holding Denver to 20 points or less, including a 5-0 mark at Arrowhead. Denver is just 9-34 (.209) on the road under Shanahan when scoring 20 points or less. Dating back to a 19-10 loss at Arrowhead (11/23/06), the Broncos are just 1-11 (.083) in their last 12 games when they have failed to score 21 points or more, including a streak of eight consecutive losses.

The Chiefs are 41-0 at Arrowhead since ‘90 when holding opponents to 10 points or less. The Broncos are 1-26 (.037) under Shanahan when they are held to 10 points or less. Kansas City and San Diego have held the Broncos under that point total six times apiece over that timeframe, the highest totals of any individual teams against Denver.

Getting Off to a Good Start is Always Important vs. the Broncos
Kansas City owns a 53-11 (.828) record at Arrowhead when leading at halftime dating back to ‘95. The Chiefs held a slim 8-6 halftime lead over the Broncos at home a year ago before permitting 14 points in the third quarter as Denver prevailed by a 27-11 margin (11/11/07). Denver owns a 25-6 (.806) record when tied or leading at halftime since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Broncos are 5-12 (.294) when trailing at halftime over the same timeframe.

The Broncos have outscored their opponents by a 28-6 margin in the fi rst quarter this season, while the Chiefs have been outscored by a 20-0 margin in the opening quarter. KC has allowed 37 points in the fi rst half, while Denver has given up 36 fi rst-half points. Offensively, Denver has scored a league-high 44 points in the second quarter and an NFL-most 72 points in the fi rst half. Kansas City’s offense has been most productive in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points, while Denver’s defense has given up 31 points in the fi nal quarter of games.

TE Tony Gonzalez Seeks a 1,000-Yard Trifecta vs. the AFC West
In 22 games (20 starts) vs. Denver, TE Tony Gonzalez has 86 catches for 996 yards (11.6 avg.) with fi ve TDs and a pair of 100-yard games. Gonzalez needs four more yards against the Broncos to become the fi rst TE in NFL history to produce 1,000 career receiving yards against three different franchises. Here’s a look at how Gonzalez and former Broncos TE Shannon Sharpe stacked up vs. AFC West. Sharpe topped the 1,000- yard mark against two career opponents, but tallied only 842 career yards against the Raiders, the team Gonzalez owns his highest totals against.

Final Chiefs-Broncos Statistical Tidbits
Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt is second in NFL history since ‘70 with a 38.45- yard career net punting average (min. 250 atts.). Prior to MNF, SD P Mike Scifres was fi rst at 38.65 … The Chiefs rank fourth in the NFL in pass defense (153.0 ypg), while Denver ranks 32nd (315.7 ypg) ... Denver has scored a league-high 80 points in the Red Zone. The Chiefs allowed a league-low 16 Red Zone TDs on 43 possessions (37.2%) in 2007.