Broncos vs. ChiefsHOME GAME · Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
No Week 8 practice report yet on either team site as of Wednesday morning (denverbroncos.com and chiefs.com news pages, fetched Oct 28; the last Chiefs report is dated Oct 23). ESPN's game page for event 401873033 (fetched Oct 28) lists four Broncos as QUESTIONABLE with a Nov 1 return date: Jaylen Waddle (WR, chest), Pat Surtain II (CB, ankle), Talanoa Hufanga (S, ankle) and Zach Allen (DE, hamstring). Tyler Badie (RB, thumb) and Jonah Elliss (OLB, ankle) went on injured reserve Saturday Oct 24; Pat Bryant (WR, ankle) has been on IR since Oct 9 (ESPN Broncos injury page, Oct 28).
Waddle aggravated the chest injury on a fourth-quarter end-around in Arizona and did not finish the game; NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said his status "will be determined at a later time," and KUSA's Mike Klis reported "there is hope" he plays and that he is expected to be listed questionable (Broncos Wire via Yahoo Sports, Oct 28). Surtain was limited all three days last week and inactive in Arizona; Covers (Oct 28) calls him "likely back." Hufanga has not played since hurting the ankle Oct 11 and was out last week; ESPN's Jeff Legwold reported two weeks ago he was set to miss multiple weeks (ESPN player page, fetched Oct 28). Allen hurt the hamstring Sunday (TheDNVR via ESPN, Oct 25). Under the house rule a questionable starter is planned as a coin flip until Friday; if Surtain and Hufanga sit again it is Jahdae Barron outside, Devon Key or Taylor Rapp at strong safety and Sai'vion Jones taking Allen's snaps (ESPN depth chart, Oct 28).
Kansas City's side: WR Rashee Rice (hamstring) and RT Jaylon Moore (concussion) are QUESTIONABLE; both did not practice all of last week and were inactive in Seattle, with Joshua Ezeudu starting at right tackle (chiefs.com Week 7 injury report Oct 23 and inactives Oct 25). LT Josh Simmons (back) went on IR Oct 22 and Kahlil Benson is the listed left tackle; RB Brashard Smith (hamstring) went on IR Oct 24; WR Tyquan Thornton (ankle) has been on IR since Oct 13. Travis Kelce (ankle) and L'Jarius Sneed (knee) were limited all last week but played. LB Nick Bolton left Sunday's game briefly with neck spasms and returned (chiefs.com, Oct 26). The Chiefs signed kicker Justin Tucker to the practice squad on Oct 28 (chiefs.com transactions) after Harrison Butker missed from 58 and 45 in Seattle.
Sources: ESPN game page 401873033 and team injury pages (Oct 28); Broncos Wire via Yahoo Sports (Oct 28); chiefs.com Week 7 injury report (Oct 23), inactives (Oct 25), recap and transactions (Oct 26–28); ESPN player page for Hufanga (Oct 28). Wednesday's practice report is the first official word; re-check Thursday and Friday.
Player matchups ESPN season statistics, depth charts and injury feed, pulled Oct 28 (Broncos seven games, Chiefs six)
Walker and the Kansas City run game vs. Denver's run defense
Edge: Chiefs
Broncos
Alex Singleton 87 tackles (AFC Defensive Player of the Week) · LB 
Justin Strnad 37 tackles, 3.5 TFL · NT 
D.J. Jones · DE 
Eyioma Uwazurike 3.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL · DE 
Zach Allen QUESTIONABLE (hamstring) · run defense 133.3 yds a game, 4.6 a carry allowed
Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III 120 car, 701 yds (5.8), 6 TD, 7 runs of 20+ · RB 
Emmett Johnson 19 car, 62 yds · LG 
Kingsley Suamataia · C 
Creed Humphrey · RG 
Trey Smith · team 141.5 yds a game, 5.3 a carryThis is the matchup of the game. Walker ran 23 times for 173 yards and a 60-yard score against this defense in Week 1, and Denver allows 4.6 a carry and leads the league with 56 missed tackles (PFR via BetMGM, Oct 28). Seattle showed the other outcome: 14 carries for 36 yards and not one run of 10 yards, and Kansas City scored 3. Singleton did not miss a tackle in his Player of the Week game, but the edge belongs to the league's leading rusher until Denver proves Week 1 was the outlier.
Denver's pass rush vs. a patched Kansas City line
Edge: BroncosBroncosZach Allen 4.5 sacks QUESTIONABLE · DE Eyioma Uwazurike 3.5 · OLB 
Dondrea Tillman 2.5 · OLB 
Que Robinson 2 · CB 
Pat Surtain II 2 QUESTIONABLE · OLB 
Nik Bonitto 2 FF, 5 PD · OLB 
Jonathon Cooper (starter on depth chart) · team 21 sacks, 42 TFLChiefs
Kahlil Benson (LT 
Josh Simmons IR) · LG Kingsley Suamataia · C Creed Humphrey · RG Trey Smith · RT 
Jaylon Moore QUESTIONABLE (concussion), 
Joshua Ezeudu started Week 7 · 7 sacks allowed, 40 ydsDenver's 21 sacks are 3.0 a game, and Kansas City is down its drafted left tackle for the season and possibly its right tackle again. The counter is Mahomes: 7 sacks on 198 dropbacks, the third-lowest rate among the 32 leading passers, and a career-low 6.7 average depth of target with 5.1 in each of the last two games (Covers, Oct 28). He is getting rid of it. Still the clearest Denver edge on the page, and the one that drives the sacks prop; if Allen sits, trim it.
Mahomes vs. Denver's secondary
EvenBroncosPat Surtain II 7 PD, 1 INT, 2 sacks QUESTIONABLE · CB 
Riley Moss 2 INT (1 TD), 3 PD · S 
Brandon Jones 52 tackles, 2 INT, 5 PD · NB 
Ja'Quan McMillian 6 PD, 1 INT · S 
Talanoa Hufanga 2 INT QUESTIONABLE · CB 
Jahdae Barron · team 7 INT, 43 PDChiefs
Patrick Mahomes — 124/191, 1,474 yds, 7.7 a throw, 9 TD, 4 INT, 95.3 rating; 165 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT Sunday; no TD pass in two games · backup 
Justin FieldsMahomes threw for 184 yards and two scores against this group in Week 1 but also threw a pick to Brandon Jones. Denver allows 6.3 yards a pass attempt and has 43 passes defended; Mahomes sits 14th in rating among the 32 leading passers and has not thrown a touchdown since Oct 4. Even, and it swings to Denver if Surtain plays.
Kelce and the thinned Kansas City receivers vs. Denver's coverage
Edge: BroncosBroncosBrandon Jones 2 INT, 5 PD · NB Ja'Quan McMillian 6 PD · LB Alex Singleton 1 PD · OLB Nik Bonitto 5 PD · S 
Devon Key (if Hufanga sits)Chiefs
Travis Kelce 24 rec, 343 yds, 2 TD (3 for 71 in Week 1) · WR 
Xavier Worthy 24 rec, 217 yds, 1 TD · TE 
Noah Gray 12 rec, 158 yds · WR 
Rashee Rice 13 rec, 190 yds, 1 TD QUESTIONABLE (hamstring) · WR 
Jalen Royals 5 rec · WR 
Tyquan Thornton 11 rec, 219 yds IRKansas City's wide receivers combined for six catches and 39 yards in Seattle (ESPN, Oct 26); Kelce and Gray had 88 of the 165. Without Rice and Thornton this is a two-tight-end passing game, and Denver's safeties and slot own five of the seven interceptions. Rice returning after four missed games would change this row.
Nix vs. Spagnuolo's defense
Edge: ChiefsBroncos
Bo Nix — 129/218, 1,271 yds, 5.8 a throw, 7 TD, 3 INT, 80.7 rating; 110 rushing yds, 2 TD · Sunday: 15/29, 222 yds, 1 TD plus 73 rushing yds and a 62-yard TD run · backup 
Jarrett StidhamChiefs
Chamarri Conner 1 sack (team co-leader) · CB 
Nohl Williams 7 PD, 1 INT (65-yd return Sunday) · CB 
Mansoor Delane 5 PD, 1 INT · NB 
L'Jarius Sneed 3 PD, 2 FF · S 
Jaden Hicks · S 
Alohi Gilman · team 6 INT, 32 PD, 17.2 points allowed a gameNix was 17 of 28 for 131 yards with a pick and four sacks in Week 1. Kansas City allows 17.2 points a game, second-fewest in the league (Covers, Oct 28), and has six interceptions with four fumble recoveries. Nix's 222-yard, two-score game in Arizona was his best of the year, but he is 29th of 32 in yards per attempt. Denver's protection is the saving grace: 9 sacks allowed on 227 dropbacks.
Waddle, Sutton and Harvey vs. the Kansas City corners
Edge: ChiefsBroncos
Jaylen Waddle 26 rec, 276 yds, 1 TD QUESTIONABLE (chest) · RB 
RJ Harvey 25 rec, 217 yds (52-yd TD Sunday) · WR 
Courtland Sutton 16 rec, 168 yds · WR 
Marvin Mims Jr. 7 rec, 82 yds (47-yd catch Sunday) · WR 
Troy Franklin 5 rec · WR 
Pat Bryant IRChiefsNohl Williams 7 PD, 1 INT · CB Mansoor Delane 5 PD, 1 INT (picked Nix in Week 1) · NB L'Jarius Sneed 2 FF · CB 
Kristian Fulton 1 INT · CB 
Chris Roland-WallaceDenver's leading receiver has 276 yards in seven games and may not play; Harvey, a running back, is second. Kansas City's four corners have four interceptions and 16 passes defended between them. Denver's explosives Sunday came from Harvey and Mims on screens and crossers, which is where Payton will go again.
Denver's run game vs. Kansas City's front
Edge: ChiefsBroncos
J.K. Dobbins 87 car, 293 yds (3.4), 3 TD · RB 
Jonah Coleman 19 car, 93 yds (4.9) in three games, 54 yds Sunday · RB RJ Harvey 24 car, 87 yds · QB Bo Nix 29 car, 110 yds, 2 TD · FB 
Adam Prentice · team 94.9 yds a game, 3.8 a carryChiefs
Chris Jones 13 tackles, 0.5 sack · LB 
Nick Bolton 59 tackles, 3 TFL (neck spasms Sunday) · LB 
Drue Tranquill 48 tackles, 5 TFL · DE 
George Karlaftis 5 TFL · DT 
Khyiris Tonga · DT 
Peter Woods · run defense 99.5 yds a game, 3.6 a carry allowedDenver ran for 61 yards on 15 carries in Week 1. The season-high 159 in Arizona included Nix's 62-yard run, and Payton said of Coleman: "Got to get him more touches" (denverbroncos.com, Oct 25). Kansas City allows 3.6 a carry and has 26 missed tackles to Denver's 56. The edge is Kansas City's until Coleman does it against a top-ten run defense.
Kansas City's pass rush vs. Denver's line
Edge: BroncosBroncos
Garett Bolles · LG 
Ben Powers · C 
Luke Wattenberg · RG 
Quinn Meinerz · RT 
Mike McGlinchey — 9 sacks allowed, 45 yds; 1 sack allowed SundayChiefsChamarri Conner 1 sack · DE George Karlaftis 1 · DE 
Ashton Gillotte 1 · DE 
Felix Anudike-Uzomah 1, 1 FF · CB Nohl Williams 1 · DT Chris Jones 0.5 · DT Peter Woods 0.5 · team 8 sacks, 0 SundayKansas City has 8 sacks in six games, nobody with more than one, and none in Seattle. But four of those eight came against this Denver line in Week 1. Nix's 4.0% sack rate is sixth-best among the 32 leading passers, and the line has allowed one sack in each of the last two games. Denver's edge, and the reason the sacks prop leans on Denver's defense, not Kansas City's.
Tight ends
Edge: ChiefsBroncos
Evan Engram 13 rec, 136 yds, 1 TD (4 for 43 and a TD in Week 1) · TE 
Nate Adkins 4 rec, 2 TD · TE 
Adam TrautmanChiefsTravis Kelce 24 rec, 343 yds, 14.3 a catch, 2 TD · TE Noah Gray 12 rec, 158 yds, 13.2 a catchKelce and Gray have 501 yards; Denver's three have 186. Kelce's 59-yard catch in Week 1 was the longest play of that game. Denver's answer is Brandon Jones and McMillian, who have 11 passes defended between them.
Kickers
Edge: BroncosBroncos
Wil Lutz — 12 of 15, long 53; 3 of 3 Sunday, 111 straight extra points (denverbroncos.com, Oct 25)Chiefs
Harrison Butker — 11 of 16 (68.8%), long 50, 2 of 6 from 50+; missed from 58 and 45 Sunday · Justin Tucker signed to the practice squad Oct 28Butker has missed five field goals and the Chiefs just added Tucker to the practice squad (chiefs.com transactions, Oct 28). Lutz has missed three but is perfect on extra points. In a game with a total of 41.5, the kicking edge is Denver's and it is not close.
Punters
EvenBroncos
Jeremy Crawshaw — 36 punts, 48.6 gross, 44.8 net, 16 inside the 20; 6 punts at 52.3 in Week 1Chiefs
Matt Araiza — 17 punts, 50.6 gross, 44.7 net, 11 inside the 20; 4 at 54.5 in Week 1Araiza has the bigger leg and has punted half as often, which says more about the offenses than the punters. Net averages are a tenth of a yard apart. Both pin punts; Crawshaw has 16 inside the 20 to Araiza's 11.
Returners and the third phase
Edge: BroncosBroncosMarvin Mims Jr. 11.3 PR avg, 25.4 KR (4 for 103 Sunday) · KR Jonah Coleman (listed first), RJ Harvey 29.2 KR · FB Adam Prentice blocked a punt Sunday that set up Harvey's TDChiefs
Nikko Remigio 27.8 KR, 5.7 PR avg · KR Emmett Johnson 27.2 KR (3 for 81 Sunday)Kickoffs are a wash at 27 yards either way; Denver gains nearly six more yards a punt return. Payton after the Arizona game: "If you talk about taking care of the football and playing well on special teams, you're going to give yourself a chance" (denverbroncos.com Next-Day Notebook, Oct 26). The blocked punt was the game's turning point.
Where is Bo Nix? (and where is Mahomes?) 2026 numbers against the other 31 teams' leading passers, through Week 7
Answer: still bottom quarter as a passer, top ten at staying clean and at protecting the ball, and Sunday was his best game. Against the 32 teams' leading passers, Nix ranks 26th in passer rating, 29th in completion rate and 29th in yards per attempt (5.8). He is 9th-lowest in interception rate and 6th-lowest in sack rate. Arizona was the first time this year he looked like a Payton quarterback: 222 yards through the air, a 52-yard touchdown to Harvey and a 62-yard touchdown run, the first Broncos game with a 50-yard rushing score and a 50-yard passing score since 2002 (denverbroncos.com, Oct 25). His own read: "I thought we played a good game offensively." Payton: "The confidence inside the building, relative to his abilities, hasn't changed at all." Mahomes, for comparison, is 14th in rating (95.3), 10th in yards per attempt (7.7) and 3rd-lowest in sack rate, and has gone two games without a touchdown pass.
| Stat | Nix | Rank | League median | Mahomes | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passer rating | 80.7 | 26 of 32 | 92.9 | 95.3 (14th) | Lamar Jackson 119.6 |
| Completion % | 59.2 | 29 of 32 | 64.8 | 64.9 (15th) | Joe Burrow 71.7 |
| Yards per attempt | 5.8 | 29 of 32 | 7.2 | 7.7 (10th) | Lamar Jackson 10.1 |
| Pass yards per game | 181.6 | 27 of 32 | 242.2 | 245.7 (15th) | Jared Goff 298.0 |
| Passing TDs | 7 | 23 of 32 | 9 | 9 (16th) | Kirk Cousins 16 |
| TD % | 3.2 | 26 of 32 | 4.8 | 4.7 (18th) | Trevor Lawrence 7.6 |
| Interceptions (fewest = 1st) | 3 | 10 of 32 | 4 | 4 (18th) | Jared Goff 0 |
| INT % (lowest = 1st) | 1.4 | 9 of 32 | 1.9 | 2.1 (20th) | Jared Goff 0.0 |
| Sack % (lowest = 1st) | 4.0 | 6 of 32 | 6.2 | 3.5 (3rd) | Dak Prescott 2.5 |
| QB rushing yards | 110 | — | — | 71 | — |
Each team's leading passer by yards (32 players), ESPN 2026 passing leaders fetched 2026-10-28. Some leaders have played four or five games (Jackson, Williams, Daniels, Mayfield, Penix, Hurts, Murray). Sack % = sacks / (attempts + sacks). Rushing yards from the ESPN team pages; a league rank for QB rushing was not computed this week. Orange rank = top ten, red = bottom ten.
Coaching staffs tenure, experience, and what the beat has said this season
Broncos
- Sean Payton, head coach since 2023; 37–21 in Denver, 189–110 regular season and 10–10 in the playoffs for his career (Wikipedia, Oct 28; Denver record includes Sunday's win). He has called the plays himself since Week 5; Denver is 3-0 since at 23.3 points a game (Covers, Oct 28). After Arizona: "It was one of our more complete games." (denverbroncos.com, Oct 25)
- Davis Webb, offensive coordinator; Zach Strief, run game coordinator and assistant head coach; John Morton, pass game coordinator.
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator since 2023; Robert Livingston, defensive pass game coordinator.
- Darren Rizzi, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. Logan Kilgore coaches the quarterbacks.
Chiefs
- Andy Reid, head coach since January 2013; 154–65 in Kansas City, 284–158–1 regular season and 28–17 in the playoffs for his career, three Super Bowl wins (Wikipedia, Oct 28). After Seattle: "All three phases, we struggled. We have to do better, and that's my responsibility." (chiefs.com, Oct 26)
- Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator, back on a multi-year deal signed Jan 23, 2026; Chiefs OC 2018–22, Commanders OC 2023, UCLA OC 2024, Bears running backs coach 2025 (Wikipedia, Oct 28).
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator since January 2019, age 66; former Rams head coach (10–38).
- Dave Toub, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, in Kansas City since 2013 after nine years running the Bears' units. David Girardi coaches the quarterbacks.
Staff titles: denverbroncos.com and chiefs.com coaching rosters, fetched Oct 28. Records and hire dates: Wikipedia pages for Payton, Reid, Bieniemy, Spagnuolo and Toub, fetched Oct 28. Quotes: team sites, Oct 25–26.
Missed tackles Denver's number since Week 1, and Kansas City's
Denver: 56 missed tackles, the most in the NFL; Kansas City: 26, tied for 27th with Arizona (Pro Football Reference, via BetMGM, published Oct 28, so through Week 7). The Lions have the fewest at 12. Denver's count has gone from 44 (through Week 5) to 54 (through Week 6) to 56, so Arizona cost only two missed tackles, the best tackling game of the year.
Why it matters Sunday. This is the one number that explains Week 1: Walker's 173 yards came on 23 carries with a 60-yard run, and Kansas City leads the league at 5.3 yards a carry as a team with seven runs of 20 or more. Denver allows 4.6 a carry. Seattle held Walker to 36 yards on 14 carries by not missing, and Kansas City scored 3 points. Alex Singleton (87 tackles, the week's AFC Defensive Player) and Justin Strnad have to get him down on first contact.
The other direction. Kansas City allows 3.6 a carry and misses half as many tackles. Denver's explosives Sunday (Harvey's 52-yard screen, Nix's 62-yard run) were yards after a broken tackle or a missed fit; that will be rarer against this front.
Team totals: sports.betmgm.com "NFL Teams With Most Missed Tackles This Season" (Oct 28, 2026, via PFR). Prior weeks' Denver totals from the same series (Oct 14 and Oct 21 editions, cited in the Week 6 and Week 7 pages). Per-player missed-tackle counts were not published at the time of writing. Refresh Friday.
Reassessment Mack's line vs. the market, and the three props
Where Mack and the market stand (Wednesday). Mack's rating line is Broncos −1.2 and his straight-up pick is Denver at 54%; the market, frozen at the board build, is Chiefs −1.5 and a total of 41.5. That is a 2.7-point disagreement and a two-sided one: Mack has Denver as the better team on the ratings plus home field, and the market still has Kansas City as the better team. ESPN's Matchup Predictor (Oct 28) sides with the market at 55.7% Chiefs, and ESPN's live DraftKings total had already drifted to 40.5 from an opener of 43.5.
| Mack | Market | |
|---|---|---|
| Line | Broncos −1.2 | Chiefs −1.5 (ESPN live Oct 28: KC −1.5) |
| Broncos win probability | 54% | ESPN predictor 43.9%; Kalshi 49% |
| Straight-up pick | Broncos | Chiefs −118 money line |
| Spread side | Broncos | |
| Total | Under | 41.5 (open 43.5; live 40.5) |
The props. This week the board asks for Over/Under on total sacks, total takeaways and total points instead of winner and spread. The inputs: Denver's defense averages 3.0 sacks a game and Kansas City's line allows 1.2; Kansas City's defense averages 1.3 and Denver's line allows 1.3. The Week 1 game had 6 sacks (4 on Nix, 2 on Mahomes), 3 takeaways and 41 points. Season takeaway rates are 1.7 a game for Kansas City (10 in six) and 1.0 a game in interceptions alone for Denver (7 in seven, plus fumble recoveries ESPN's team page does not label cleanly). Points: Denver scores 20.6 and allows 20.1; Kansas City scores 23.8 and allows 17.2. Mack's judgment, not the formula: sacks lean Over on Denver's pass rush against two backup tackles, takeaways lean Under because both quarterbacks are top-ten in interception rate, and points lean Under with the house pick.
What would change it. Surtain and Hufanga active moves Denver's defensive rating back to its Week 3 level and firms up the pick; Surtain, Hufanga and Allen all out costs −0.45 under the formula and makes Mack's line roughly a pick'em. Rice back for Kansas City adds its only outside receiver with a touchdown. Moore cleared from the concussion protocol takes the sacks lean back toward the number.
Odds: DraftKings via ESPN scoreboard and game page 401873033, fetched Oct 28 (frozen board number 41.5 from the build; ESPN live 40.5). Predictor: ESPN game page. Kalshi: Covers (Oct 28). Sacks, takeaways and points: ESPN team statistics (Oct 28) and the Week 1 box score 401872931.
Unit by unit ESPN team statistics through Week 7, fetched Oct 28; each row says which side has the edge and why
| Unit | Broncos | Chiefs | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 20.6 points a game; 144 scored, 141 allowed | 23.8 points a game; 143 scored, 103 allowed | Chiefs |
| Kansas City allows 17.2 a game, second-fewest in the league (Covers), to Denver's 20.1. Both offenses scored 3 and 30 last week in opposite directions. | |||
| Passing offense | 175.1 net yards a game · Nix 80.7 rating, 5.8 a throw | 239.0 net yards a game · Mahomes 95.3 rating, 7.7 a throw | Chiefs |
| Sixty-four yards a game and two yards a throw separate them. Kansas City's problem is who catches it: Rice out, Thornton on IR, six wide-receiver catches Sunday. | |||
| Rushing offense | 94.9 yards a game · 3.8 a carry · 159 Sunday | 141.5 yards a game · 5.3 a carry · 50 Sunday | Chiefs |
| Walker's 701 yards are more than Denver's whole team (664). Denver's season high came Sunday; Kansas City's season low came Sunday. | |||
| Protection | 9 sacks allowed, 45 yds · Nix sack rate 4.0% | 7 sacks allowed, 40 yds · Mahomes sack rate 3.5% · both drafted tackles out or questionable | Even |
| Both quarterbacks are top-ten at staying clean. Kansas City's number was built with Simmons and Moore; Sunday it starts Benson and maybe Ezeudu. | |||
| Pass rush and havoc | 21 sacks · 42 tackles for loss · 43 passes defended · 8 forced fumbles | 8 sacks · 37 tackles for loss · 32 passes defended · 5 forced fumbles | Broncos |
| Denver has nearly three times the sacks in one more game. Kansas City had 4 of its 8 against Denver in Week 1, and 0 in Seattle. | |||
| Takeaways | 7 INT (100 return yds) · 3 INT thrown · turnover margin +4 | 10 (6 INT, 4 fumbles) · 5 giveaways · +5 | Chiefs |
| Kansas City takes the ball away more often and gives it away less; Denver's takeaways come through the air. Week 1 had three between them. | |||
| Third down | 31.1% (28 of 90) · allows 42.1% | 39.4% (28 of 71) · allows 41.9% | Chiefs |
| Both defenses allow about 42%. Denver's offense is eight points worse and was 3 of 11 in Arizona; ESPN notes third-down efficiency has dropped since Payton took the play sheet (Oct 26). | |||
| Red zone | Held Arizona to 1 of 5 in the red zone Sunday (denverbroncos.com, Oct 25) | 9 touchdowns allowed all season | Even |
| ESPN's team pages did not list red-zone rates this week. Denver's defense has allowed 14 touchdowns in seven games, Kansas City's 9 in six. | |||
| Special teams | Lutz 12/15 · Crawshaw 48.6 gross, 44.8 net, 16 inside 20 · blocked punt Sunday | Butker 11/16, 2/6 from 50+ · Araiza 50.6 gross, 44.7 net, 11 inside 20 | Broncos |
| Butker's five misses and the Tucker practice-squad signing decide this row. Punting is even; Denver's punt-return average (10.1) nearly doubles Kansas City's (5.7). | |||
Points scored and allowed and third-down figures from ESPN 2026 team statistics pages for Denver and Kansas City, fetched Oct 28 (Denver seven games, Kansas City six); points-allowed rank from Covers (Oct 28); Week 1 figures from ESPN box score 401872931; kicking and punting from ESPN player statistics (Oct 28).