Mahomes’ ankle status, Chiefs’ offense, and the Broncos’ defense headline Week 10 matchup
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs continue their quest to remain undefeated on the season, with Week 10 bringing a divisional showdown against the Denver Broncos, a team that handed the Chiefs a 24-9 loss last year, snapping a 16-game losing streak in the rivalry that dated back to 2015.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs released their Week 10 injury report, which showed that wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and defensive lineman Kershaw Wharton did not practice. Meanwhile, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, running back Kareem Hunt, and defensive lineman George Karlaftis were all limited in practice.
The Chiefs kept their undefeated season alive in Week 9, tallying a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. The win wasn’t without its scares, however, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes briefly exited the game with an ankle injury before returning to lead his team to victory in overtime.
“It’s (ankle) doing good, you know, obviously, when you have a little bit of a role, it’s a little bit sore,” Mahomes said. “I’ve been able to move around and I look forward to getting out to practice and seeing how I can push it as the week goes on.”
Kansas City will continue to monitor Mahomes’ ankle, hoping it holds up as the Chiefs’ offense remains difficult to stop. The team is tough to get off the field, ranking first in the NFL with a third-down conversion rate above 50 percent.
It’s not just their efficiency on third down that stands out, as the Chiefs are also masters of extended drives, as demonstrated in their Week 9 win when they strung together touchdown drives of 15, 12, 11, and 10 plays.
“It prepares us to be in those long drives, we do a long drive drill like every day and it sucks, I mean, it’s the best way to say it but at the same time, it prepares you to be ready for those moments,” Mahomes said. “It seems like we play our best football in the fourth quarter and it’s because we’ve been preparing ourselves all year long to play our best football then.”
As the Chiefs prepare for their upcoming AFC West showdown against Denver, they’ll be looking to avenge last season’s loss. Kansas City enters the game with the NFL’s fifth-ranked total defense, and while the Broncos are starting rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the Chiefs’ secondary knows it won’t be an easy task.
“You know, he’s starting to be able to read defenses a little bit better, but I think the best thing he does is with his feet, you know, and many people might not see him as this mobile quarterback, but he’s willing to run that ball and he’s willing to pull it on some zone reads,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “He’s able to scramble and make time for his receivers to get open.”
The Chiefs’ offensive production took a step forward this past weekend, with DeAndre Hopkins making a significant impact, catching two touchdown passes, while Hunt continued to find success on the ground.
Despite these offensive contributions, broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will attempt to slow the Chiefs’ high-powered offense.
“What it takes for a great defense is they have an understanding for the scheme that we run. I mean, coach Joseph has played against us a lot as a head coach, as defensive coordinator, so he knows how to take away some of the stuff that we’re really good at,” Mahomes said. “They have great, I mean, (Patrick) Surtain is maybe the best corner in the NFL, they can take away some guys because he’s that good of a player.”
