Kansas City Seeks its First Sweep of Denver Since 2000

Dec 02, 2008, 12:13:28 AM by Pete Moris

Kansas City Seeks to Register Its Inaugural INVESCO Field Win

Denver owns a 43-19 (.694) mark in regular season play at INVESCO Field, including a 7-0 mark against the Chiefs. If Kansas City could secure its inaugural win at INVESCO Field, it would give the Chiefs their fi rst sweep of the Broncos since 2000. Denver has lost its last three home contests, but has never dropped four consecutive games at INVESCO. The Broncos are 18-5 (.783) all-time vs. the AFC West at INVESCO and haven’t lost two division home games in a single season since 2000 (KC and SD).

The Broncos previously suffered three-game home losing streaks in 2006 and 2002. You have to go back to ‘93-94 to fi nd the last four-game Denver home losing streak. The Raiders and Chiefs handed the Broncos their third and fourth home losses during that ‘93-94 home losing string. Kansas City’s 31-28 win on Monday Night Football (10/17/94) snapped an 11-game Chiefs losing streak at Mile High Stadium and handed Wade Phillips’ club a fourth straight home loss.

The third straight setback in this current Broncos home losing stretch was a 31-10 loss vs. Oakland (11/23). If KC could collect a victory on this trip to Denver, it would snap a seven-game losing streak at INVESCO Field. The only team with a longer winless streak at an active NFL stadium is Cincinnati, which is 0-9 all-time at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Here is a look at the details from our friends at STATS, LLC.

Chiefs-Broncos Scoring Stats
The Chiefs are averaging 23.5 ppg in their last six contests with QB Tyler Thigpen in the starting lineup after registering just 12.5 ppg in the club’s fi rst six games. KC scored 75 points during its fi rst six games, with 44.0 percent of those points coming in a 33-19 win vs. Denver (9/28).

KC has averaged 15.0 ppg in its fi rst six road games of the year and has scored a combined 23 points in its last three trips to Denver. The Chiefs will need to be more productive in the scoring column against a Broncos squad that has averaged 31.7 ppg in its seven wins this season. However, Denver has managed just 14.0 ppg in its fi ve losses. The Broncos have allowed 23.4 ppg in their seven wins and have given up 31.0 ppg in their fi ve losses.

Denver has been held to 20 points or less in each of its fi ve setbacks. Dating back to a 19-10 loss at Arrowhead (11/23/06), Denver is just 2-16 (.111) when being held to 20 points or less, including a string of four straight losses. Denver is 1-7 at home over that span when being held to 20 points or less with that lone win coming by a 16-13 count vs. Tampa Bay (10/5).

Denver is 34-4 (.895) all-time at INVESCO Field when holding opponents to 20 points or less, including a 20-1 (.952) mark since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Broncos are 17-1 (.944) at INVESCO Field when scoring 30 points or more with that lone loss coming by a 34-31 margin vs. Indianapolis (10/29/06). Denver has hit the 30-point barrier in fi ve of its last seven home wins vs. the Chiefs, outscoring Kansas City by an average margin of 30.0 to 14.9 ppg in those seven contests.

A Fast Start and a Strong Finish is a Must vs. Denver
The Chiefs grabbed a 13-10 halftime lead in their 33-19 win vs. Denver (9/28). Getting ahead early has proven diffi cult in recent trips to INVESCO Field. KC has been outscored by a 61-20 margin in the fi rst half of its last four trips to Denver and has held just one halftime lead (3-0 on 9/17/06).

Denver owns a 29-7 (.806) record when tied or leading at halftime since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Broncos are 8-17 (.320) when trailing at halftime over the same timeframe. The Broncos are 5-0 when leading or tied at halftime in 2008, but have trailed at halftime in all fi ve of their losses. Denver has been outscored by a 69-27 margin in the fi rst half of its fi ve losses. Kansas City has permitted 107 second-quarter points in 2008, while Denver has relinquished 104.

The Broncos have outscored Kansas City by a 53-27 margin in the second half of the Chiefs last four trips to Denver, but there could be plenty of points put up in the second half of this week’s game. While KC has allowed 173 points in the second half, the Broncos have relinquished 161 points after intermission. In fact, only Cincinnati (115) and Oakland (107) have allowed more points in the fourth quarter than Denver (100). That’s good news for the Chiefs, who have scored 82 fourth-quarter points, the club’s highest tally in any quarter this season. The Broncos are 5-2 in games decided by seven points or less this season.

QB Tyler Thigpen Set to Make His Initial Start vs. Broncos
Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen will make his fi rst against the Broncos. The last Chiefs QB to register a victory in his initial start at Denver was QB Bill Kenney, who guided KC to a 37-16 win (12/19/82). Thigpen wasn’t even born until April 14, 1984. Kenney was also the most recent fi eld general to win his fi rst start against Denver (home or road) when he posted a 31-14 win at Arrowhead (12/7/80). Last week, Thigpen became the youngest KC signal caller to win his fi rst start since QB Todd Blackledge at PIT (9/2/84).

Broncos QB Jay Cutler vs. the Chiefs
Broncos QB Jay Cutler is 2-1 as a starter vs. Kansas City. In his most recent meeting with the Chiefs, Cutler completed 29 of 49 passes (62.9%) for 361 yards with one TD and two INTs, numbers that equate to a 71.9 rating. Cutler owns a perfect 9-0 record in games when he posts a 100.0+ rating, including last year’s contest at Denver (12/9/07) when he compiled a career-high 141.0 effi ciency rating.

Dating back to 2002, KC owns a 22-8 (.733) record in all games when it registers two or more INTs. The Chiefs have registered two or more INTs in three contests this season. KC hasn’t forced two INTs at Denver since picking off QB Jake Plummer twice (9/12/04). In Denver’s seven wins, Cutler owns 15 TDs, four INTs, a 65.4 comp. pct. and a 105.1 rating. He has registered a rating of 90.0 or better in all seven of those outings, including four 100.0-rating games. In the Broncos fi ve losses, Cutler has thrown six TDs, nine INTs, a 54.9 completion pct. and has a passer rating of 65.2.

Staying Positive in the Turnover Column is Crucial at Denver
Kansas City was +3 (4 takes/1 give) in a 33-19 win vs. Denver (9/28). The Chiefs would like to repeat that performance at INVESCO Field, where KC has gone -5 (1 take/6 gives) in its last three visits. The last time the Chiefs were positive in Denver was a +2 (3 takes/1 give) performance in a 34-24 loss (9/12/04). KC was -3 (0 takes/3 gives) in its last visit to Denver. Kansas City, Green Bay and Pittsburgh are the only three teams that haven’t committed a turnover in the Red Zone this season.

Despite the club’s record, KC is tied for fourth in the league with 23 total takeaways (13 FRs and 10 INTs) in 2008. In fact, Kansas City and Arizona are tied for the NFL lead with 13 opponents’ fumble recoveries. The Chiefs have forced two or more takeaways in eight contests this season. KC is also tied for the NFL lead (GB, NYJ) with fi ve takeaways in the Red Zone.

Denver owns a 44-5 (.898) home record when posting a positive turnover differential under Mike Shanahan. The Broncos are 19-1 (.950) at home with an even or positive turnover margin dating back to 2005, including a streak of eight straight wins. However, Denver is just 1-9 (.100) at home over that same span when negative. Overall, Denver has lost fi ve consecutive games and 14 of its last 15 games with a negative turnover margin. The Broncos are +2 (8 takes/6 gives) in their seven wins in 2008 and -13 (4 takes/17 gives) in their fi ve losses.

Only San Francisco at -13 (15 takes/28 gives) owns a worse turnover differential than Denver at -11 (12 takes/23 gives). The Broncos have forced a league-low 12 turnovers in 2008 as only Detroit (2) has picked off fewer passes than Denver (5). The Broncos are currently on pace to fi nish the year with 16.0 takeaways and 6.7 INTs, fi gures which would both rank as the lowest single-season totals in franchise history.

The Ground Game is Always an Important Factor vs. Denver
KC outgained Denver by a 119-yard margin (213 to 94) in a 33-19 win at Arrowhead (9/28) thanks to a 198-yard outburst by RB Larry Johnson. The Chiefs are 22-7 (.759) when Johnson tops the 100-yard barrier, including a 4-1 mark vs. Denver. The Broncos rank 28th in the NFL, allowing 144.3 rushing ypg. Denver is 4-14 (.222) when allowing a 100-yard rusher dating back to 2006, including losses in nine of its last 10 such games.

Offensively, Denver’s RB corps has been decimated by injuries with four different players on IR (Michael Pittman, Anthony Aldridge, Andre Hall and Ryan Torain). The Broncos rank 18th in the league in rushing (110.9 ypg) and have managed just 100.6 ypg the past fi ve games.

The Chiefs haven’t outgained the Broncos on the ground in Denver since registering a 16-10 win at Mile High Stadium (12/5/99) when KC had 177 rushing yards, compared to 83 for Denver. In their last seven visits to INVESCO Field, Denver has averaged 205.3 rushing ypg, compared to 98.9 ypg for KC, a 106.4 ypg difference. KC hasn’t scored a rushing TD at Denver since RB Priest Holmes had a three-TD performance (9/12/04).

Thigpen to Bowe & Gonzalez Has Been a Potent Combination
Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen has thrown 11 TDs over the last six games with WR Dwayne Bowe collecting four of his six TDs over that span. In his last four starts, TE Tony Gonzalez has caught 33 passes for 375 yards with three TDs, meaning 45.2 percent of his receptions on the season have come the past four weeks. Gonzalez also has three 100-yard games over that four-week span. According to STATS, LLC, through the fi rst 11 weeks of the 2008 season, the only NFL wide receiver that broke more tackles than Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe (11) was Broncos WR Brandon Marshall (12). Over that span, Bowe had at least one broken tackle on 17.2% of his receptions, while Marshall came in at 13.4%.

Third-Down Stats, Final Chiefs-Broncos Statistical Tidbits
Denver’s offense ranks second in the league on third down, converting 46.4% (70 of 151) of the time. KC’s defense limited Oakland to 23.1% (3 of 13) on third down last week. Denver’s defense ranks 25th on third down at 43.4% (69 of 159) ... The Chiefs are seeking their fi fth December win in Denver and their fi rst since registering a 16-10 decision (12/5/99).

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A 15-year veteran of the Chiefs, Moris is the associate director of public relations for the team and contributes an in-depth examination of each upcoming game Tuesdays in-season.