Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs Offense Look To Rebound Against Denver Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs come into their divisional matchup against Denver this weekend owning a 5-3 record and a half game lead in the AFC West.

However, this record could easily be 6-2 as the Chiefs let one get away from them last Sunday in Oakland.

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel hit Dwayne Bowe late in the fourth quarter to give KC a three-point advantage, but it was short lived as the Raiders drove down and Chiefs nemesis Sebastian Janikowksi tied the game with a 41-yard field goal to force overtime and eventually would hit the game-winning kick in the extra period.

The loss hurt the morale of the Chiefs, who had just come off a thrilling overtime victory of their own against the down and out Buffalo Bills.

Arguably the most telling statistic to take away from the Oakland game was the fact that the Raiders were able to hold the Chiefs running game to just 104 yards, compared to their seasonal average of 190 rushing yards per game.

Matt Cassel had a decent game, but he made some poor throws (including an interception) and was unable to lead his team down the field twice when the game was on the line.

Putting the past aside, the Chiefs offense will need a much more complete effort this week against the Broncos in the mile high city.

This might be more attainable against a Bronco defense that is currently ranked 23rd in the league overall.

The Chiefs should be able to run at will against the weak rush defense of Denver, as they are the statistically the worst in the league, giving up nearly 155 yards per game on the ground.

The one area where the Broncos defense does excel in is their pass defense, which is 8th in the league, and is lead by the nine-time Pro Bowler Champ Bailey.

KC running back Jamaal Charles might be counted on to have a big day as Matt Cassel and the Chiefs passing offense could struggle against the Broncos solid pass defense.

Rookie WR Dexter McCluster has been limited in practice this week once again, and his game status for Sunday is still very uncertain at this time. With the speedster McCluster penciled into the Chiefs offense, it would immensely help out the rushing and passing attack, freeing up Cassel to make plays with his arm.

As for the Broncos offense, they have a guy named Kyle Orton who averages just under 300 yards passing a game and has light up many of his opposing defenses already this season.

This game could turn out be a slug-fest throughout, and as most other divisional games, it could come down to the last team standing when the clock hits triple zeros.