(Kansas City) The Denver Broncos are on their sixth permanent or interim head coach since their last victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sean Payton may be the one to slow down this unfortunate streak.
The Broncos head to Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night for the first of two matchups against the Chiefs this season, looking to end one of the worst droughts in the league that boasts one of the more equal in the world.
The Colorado team has not defeated the Chiefs since the second week of the 2015 calendar, when Gary Kubiak – and Peyton Manning – led them to the Super Bowl.
“They execute their plays well. To be honest, they find ways to win even when things aren’t going in their favor, Payton said of the defending Super Bowl champions. And that’s the sign of a very good football team – a champion team. »
This has been the case regularly this season. The Chiefs (1-4) haven’t lost since their opening game against the Detroit Lions but, with the exception of the game against the Chicago Bears which was over before halftime, they had to work tirelessly to emerge victorious from their confrontations.
Patrick Mahomes admitted he’s still not in peak form this season. The NFL MVP has thrown four interceptions, and has struggled to join one of the youngest wideout brigades in the league so far this season. Mahomes, however, had a satisfactory performance in his team’s 27-20 victory against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend, and he will now face one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
“When you play against a club like the Broncos, and it’s the same for all the opponents in our section, the level of intensity goes up a notch,” explained Mahomes, who has an 11-0 record against them in career. I’m not concerned about a sequence or anything like that. I am concerned about victory against an opponent from our section. »
The Broncos (1-4), meanwhile, just want to win.
Their most recent loss came last Sunday against the New York Jets. The latter came from behind in the second half to defeat them 31-21, much to their dismay after their victorious comeback the previous week against the Bears.
Despite this heartbreaking setback, the Broncos are optimistic and believe they are heading in the right direction. Two of their four losses this season have come by three points, proof, they say, that they can hold their own against anyone in this league – except maybe the Miami Dolphins, who thrashed them 70-20 during the third week of activities.
“We should, and should have, been 4-1,” Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said, “but it’s all just words. »
The Broncos also should have ended their drought against the Chiefs a year ago.
They trailed 34-28 early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t score the game-winning touchdown on Nathaniel Hackett’s penultimate play at the helm. Two weeks later, they trailed 27-24 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t come back in interim head coach Jerry Rosburg’s first game.
“They are very talented. Our guys watched the video and they’re very aware of it, and Sean is quite the head coach,” said Chiefs colleague Andy Reid, who coached them for each of the 15 wins against the Broncos. Reid is not naive, however.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. What matters is Thursday night, right? »