The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos in a snowy divisional matchup that is expected to be a fun watch, even if one team is heavily favored.
Denver’s disappointing 2-5 start to its 2023 campaign has left the Broncos with nothing to lose heading into this game while the Chiefs are looking to secure their seventh straight win to stay atop the AFC playoff picture.
Both teams are in vastly different situations, but any divisional rivalry is worth watching in the middle part of the NFL’s grueling 17-game schedule.
We sat down with Jon Heath of Broncos Wire to preview this matchup get the inside scoop on Denver’s situation and check the temperature of the Mile High franchise ahead of this highly anticipated Week 8 tilt.
Check out some of Heath’s best answers to our questions below to get a sense of life behind enemy lines in Denver heading into today’s game:
Are the 2-5 Broncos in full-on panic mode, or is this just part of a rebuilding process that was expected entering the season?
This isn’t what fans expected — I’m not sure what Sean Payton and George Paton realistic expected going into the season. Publicly, Payton has claimed they’re not panicking and he’s even said Sunday’s result doesn’t have a bearing on whether or not they trade players ahead of the NFL’s deadline. Because I’m not behind closed doors with the coaches and staff, I don’t know how true that really is. Broncos fans have started to accept the fact that Denver will have to go through a rebuilding phase, whether the team publicly admits it or not.
What are your expectations for Denvers' receiving corps? Are we at the point where they're playing to maximize trade value?
Courtland Sutton has clearly emerged as Russell Wilson’s favorite target while Jerry Jeudy continues to fail to live up to his first-round draft hype. If one of them is traded, Jeudy seems more likely because he is younger and cheaper and still has a higher ceiling even if Sutton is outperforming him at the moment. Brandon Johnson is questionable this week with a hamstring injury, so perhaps Marvin Mims will finally get more looks at WR this week.
What will it take for the Broncos to trade Jerry Jeudy to Kansas City?
Wow, that’s quite a question. I have no idea if they’d be willing to deal a player to a division rival like that. Jeudy could come back to hurt the Broncos twice a year for the foreseeable future, but if they got an early pick for it, maybe Denver would think it’s worth it? Maybe a second-round pick? I doubt KC will give up a pick that high, but otherwise, I can’t imagine the Broncos would think it’s worth playing against him every year.
Just how bad is Denver's situation, from your perspective?
Well, it is all about perspective. They need to go into a rebuilding mode and let Payton build his roster. So from that perspective, this kind of season could be expected. Most fans were hoping to at least contend for the possibility of a Wild Card spot, though, so with that kind of expectation this looks like a disaster. Payton will need some time, though, and there have been some positives under him, especially on offense. Obviously, more time is needed.
