Broncos Lose to KC in Snowy Arrowhead, Fall to 5-9

The Broncos went into Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday and took on the AFC West Champion Chiefs in the snow to determine if the Broncos had bridged the gap on the Chiefs and if Drew Lock could continue his hot start to his career. Both situations came back in a negative way for the Broncos. Denver was smoked 23-3 by the Chiefs and the loss dropped the Broncos to 5-9 on the season, ensuring their third consecutive losing season. It was a tough day in the snow and it showed how far away Denver actually is from competing with the Chiefs for the divisional crown. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game.

1)    The snow affected the Broncos way more than the Chiefs. The Broncos defense could not adjust to the conditions. The Chiefs receivers were wide open all day long-especially Travis Kelce. I would have expected the Broncos to adjust to the conditions a lot better than they did.

2)    Pat Mahoney was awesome. He just diced up the Broncos defense. He is too good for us right now, and it appears that he will be the thorn in our side for many years to come. The Chiefs scored points on their first five possessions.

3)    Quite simply, the Broncos are just not good enough right now to go into KC and beat the Chiefs. They are not there yet. If we get back into playoff contention next season, it is going to have to be as a wild card. Denver’s not ready to take this division away from the Chiefs. KC has now won nine straight games against the Broncos. It reminds me of the dominance the Chargers had over Denver from 2005-2008.

4)    Drew Lock didn’t play well. I’m not going to kill him for this game. It was in a snowstorm against and clearly better team. I think there is high hopes for Lock, and I still think he can be the guy going forward for this franchise. It does look like a flaw in his game will be not stepping into some throws. He doesn’t have a strong enough arm to do that just yet. I am still looking forward to seeing him play the last two games.

5)    At 5-9, the Broncos are headed for a third straight losing season. There are young pieces there, but I would like them to win the last two and finish 7-9 and have some momentum heading into 2020. We aren’t that far off from make a 10-6 type turnaround next season, but challenging for the division will be a long shot in the near future with Mahomes and Chiefs in control.