Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos: What's the Game Plan for Denver?

The Denver Broncos (7-1) will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the season when they host the Kansas City Chiefs (3-5) on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for Denver, the Chiefs are a team they have won the last seven meetings against.

However, winning No. 8 in a row will not come easily. The Chiefs will be focused, knowing they outplayed the Broncos and probably should have won back in Week 2. On top of that, the Chiefs are coming off a bye week and earned a 35-point victory the last time they took the field.

They will not be intimidated by having to come into Denver.

For the Broncos, they followed up their most impressive win of the season—a 29-10 rout of the Green Bay Packers—by dropping a game to the Indianapolis Colts. Denver must learn from that loss, and if it's going to stay in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, it must take care of business at home.

Divisional games are always tough, and the Chiefs have traditionally been a team that gives Denver problems. How will the Broncos pull out a victory? Let's take a look at how they should approach this game on both sides of the ball.

Offensive Game Plan

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In the first meeting between these two teams, the Chiefs held the Broncos to 61 yards on the ground. However, Peyton Manning tossed three touchdowns. 

Kansas City is a team that can be thrown against. In fact , the Chiefs rank No. 23 in the league in pass defense, giving up nearly 256 yards per game through the air.

But with that said, what the Broncos do on offense in this game will largely hinge on how two key injuries will affect the game.

Though CBS Sports lists Manning as probable for this game, he is dealing with some sort of foot issue. Vic Lombardi of CBS-4 Denver reports he is dealing with plantar fasciitis. That could severely limit what he is capable of doing.

"

Gary Kubiak said Peyton Manning foot really sore coming off the turf. Been bothering him for a couple weeks. #9news #9sports

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) November 11, 2015"

In Week 2, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders each caught eight passes, and Sanders scored two touchdowns. But it seems there is a real chance Sanders sits out this game. According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Sanders missed practice on Friday and is questionable to play on Sunday due to a sore hamstring.

Sanders' potential absence would hamper the passing game, and the Broncos would desperately need someone to step up. Bennie Fowler or Andre Caldwell would have to contribute more than a catch or two in the passing game.

But the real key on offense could be the tight end position. The Broncos have been working on getting the tight ends more involved in the passing game. Manning may look their way often on Sunday.

Another key factor on offense will be blocking Justin Houston. The Chiefs linebacker had two sacks in the first meeting this season, and he'll be salivating when he sees Ryan Harris, Tyler Polumbus and Michael Schofield on the other side.

Look for Kansas City defensive coordinator Bob Sutton to move Houston all over the field, looking to create mismatches. Denver should keep two tight ends in the game in most formations and have Manning complete short, quick passes to them.

Owen Daniels, Virgil Green and even Vernon Davis could be big factors in this game. However, with the potential injuries facing the Broncos, points may come at a premium.

Defensive Game Plan

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The Broncos will not have to worry about Jamaal Charles in this game, as he is sitting out the rest of the season due to injury. In the first meeting, Charles ran for 125 yards and a touchdown. 

Denver can't overlook his replacement, Charcandrick West. Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith does not take many shots down the field, and against this defense, he'll probably be looking to do that even less.

Denver needs to take away the check-down passes Smith likes to throw to his running backs. In other words, the Broncos need to make Smith beat them down the field. If Denver can take away Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce, that shouldn't be too difficult.

With Aqib Talib set to miss this game due to suspension, Smith may choose to go after the man replacing him, Bradley Roby. That may seem like a good idea on paper, but Roby does come in at No. 26 out of 110 cornerbacks in the league in pass coverage, according to rankings provided by Pro Football Focus.

But on that same list, Chris Harris comes in at No. 4. So where does Smith go in the passing game? It seems like it will be difficult for the Chiefs to throw the ball down the field, but if they can move Maclin over to Roby's side from time to time, Smith will take his shots.

Assuming Denver wins the battle on the outside, the real challenge will be to defeat the Chiefs in the middle of the field. It sounds simple, but making quick tackles and getting the Chiefs off the field on third down will lead to a victory. The only way Kansas City wins this game is if it can completely control time of possession.

The Chiefs will achieve that but leaving themselves short third-down conversions and moving the sticks on a regular basis. If the Broncos get the Chiefs into 3rd-and-long situations, we'll see a lot of Dustin Colquitt, Kansas City's punter.

Key Matchups and Players to Watch

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Bennie Fowler: Regardless of whether Sanders plays in this game, Bennie Fowler should get his opportunities, but if he doesn't play, Fowler could be a key to Denver's offense. He has just 11 catches on the season, but he could see a fair amount of targets in this game.

"

@b_fowler13 has been targeted 12 times and has 11 receptions. 13.6 ypr. Perhaps he should be targeted more? He's 6'1" but 217 lb-very strong

— Emmett Smith (@alloverfatman) November 13, 2015"

Shaquil Barrett: With DeMarcus Ware out nursing a back injury, Shaquil Barrett will see plenty of action in this game. He has 3.5 sacks on the season and as good as Ware has been, the Broncos may not even notice his absence with Barrett in that spot. 

Vernon Davis: Eventually, the Broncos are going to unleash their shiny new toy. The Broncos traded for Vernon Davis prior to the league's trading deadline, and it's just a matter of getting him acclimated to his new surroundings. Davis was targeted just one time against the Colts in Week 9, but he'll likely get many more looks this Sunday.

Denver Tight Ends in Pass Protection: The offensive tackles of Denver could likely struggle against Houston, one of the league's best pass-rushers. Look for Virgil Green to line up on his side to help block. Denver will just have to be wary of another Kansas City defender coming free because of the extra attention given to Houston.

Prediction

This is a divisional game in which the Broncos seem to have growing concerns in the injury department. As a result, the Chiefs should be able to hang around for a little bit. 

However, the Chiefs don't have enough weapons on offense to move the ball down the field. Though the Colts were able to solve the Denver defense, that unit will be more like the one we saw against Green Bay than the one we saw last week.

Kansas City can't afford to fall five games behind the Broncos in the AFC West race. It will play with a sense of urgency, as a loss could derail any hopes it has at a playoff berth. The Chiefs just don't have quite enough talent to pull the upset here.

Final Prediction: Broncos 27, Chiefs 13