The Kansas City Chiefs have a forecast 56% chance to win against The Denver Broncos with a spread of -9.0/9.0 and an over/under of 47.5. The Kansas City Chiefs are 0 – 0 against The Denver Broncos in the 2021-22 Season.
— Sunday, December 05th Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13 of the NFL season closes with a battle for first place in the AFC West. The defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs are 7-4 and coming off a bye week, and they lead rival Denver Browns (6-5) by one game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and the game will air on NBC.
These Chiefs have flat out dominated this series since 2015, with 11 straight wins by an average of 13.5 points per game. The last time the Broncos won was September 7, 2015, and they have never beat Patrick Mahomes. Last year the Chiefs won by 6 and 27, and they lead the all-time series 67-55.
Denver Making Strides Behind Bridgewater
The Broncos are one game behind the Chiefs in the standings and tied with the LA Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders for the final AFC playoff spot at 6-5. They beat the Chargers at home last week to force the three-way tie, one game behind Kansas City.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has thrown for 2,518 yards on the season with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has at least one touchdown in four of the last five games, with the Broncos winning three of the last four.
Denver relies heavily on their run game with Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams combining for more than 1,100 yards. Williams topped 100 yards against Dallas three games ago and scored last week against the Chargers with 54 yards. Gordon ran for 83 yards last week, but a shoulder injury has forced him out of this week’s game, leaving Williams to lead the Broncos.
Linebacker Bradley Chubb returned to action last week on a limited basis. He could get more full-time snaps Sunday night, and the Broncos need him to pressure Mahomes, especially with Von Miller now in Los Angeles.
Chiefs Still Searching for Consistency
Coach Andy Reid is 19-3 in his career coming off the regular-season bye week, the best record by any coach since the bye week was installed in 1990. With the Chiefs, he is 9-3 after the bye, 6-6 against the spread, and 7-1 with Mahomes as a quarterback.
Mahomes is 7-0 against Denver as a starter with ten touchdowns, three interceptions, and a 68 percent completion rate. On the season, he has 3,200 yards and 25 touchdowns but has also thrown an eye-popping 11 interceptions. He torched the Raiders for 406 yards and five touchdowns two games ago but has not gone over 300 yards in or thrown multiple TD passes in four of the last five games.
A big problem for the Chiefs has been the run game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire missed five games before returning to run for 63 yards on 12 carries against the Cowboys before the bye. He has a team-leading 367 yards on the season as Darrel Williams has run for 358 yards in 11 games.
Tyreek Hill is second in the NFL with 84 receptions and fifth in yards with 932 while also scoring eight touchdowns. Travis Kelce has 67 catches on the season for 821 yards and five scores, while Mecole Hardman has 24 catches for 424 yards and a touchdown.
Betting Analysis
- Denver Broncos +8.5 (-110). Money Line +310
- Kansas City Chiefs -8.5 (-110). Money Line -410
- Total Points 47 (Over -110. Under -110)
The Chiefs are just 4-7 ATS this season and have shown an inability to put teams away like they did in past seasons. Denver has been a bit of an enigma lately, winning by 14 in Dallas and then getting blown out at home by the Eagles before taking down the Chargers. Their defense has what it takes to keep the Chiefs in check and give the offense a chance Sunday night.
Betting Pick: Broncos +8.5 (-110)
Keep up with your latest NFL news coverage and betting pick previews at NJSportsbookReview.com.