Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs 23, Broncos 3: Four Things we Learned
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Inclement weather can cause delays and cancellations when trying to travel, with slick conditions and visibility being the biggest threat to the safety of the travelers. Authorities will offer 'no travel advisories' when the weather gets nasty, and it's best to stay at home and keep oneself safe.
Obliged by NFL schedule-makers to travel to Arrowhead Stadium in the middle of December, the Denver Broncos could not pay heed to such advisories. The Broncos found themselves figuratively stuck in the snow on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-3.
As a whole, Denver failed to gain any traction on offense and had no answer for the Patrick Mahomes-to-Travis Kelce connection defensively. It was hard to watch at times, not only due to the Broncos' struggles but because the snow was so thick you could barely see the football fly through the air.
With the playoffs now completely out of the question for Denver, the rest of the season becomes a proper analysis of what roster pieces should remain, and which positions this team needs to address moving forward.
But what else did we learn from Denver's ninth loss of the season? Here are my key takeaways.
Lock Shows Grit vs. Relentless Pressure
Drew Lock fever has Broncos Country in a frenzy and it's easy to see why. The tools are there for the rookie to become the long-term answer at the quarterback position for this franchise.
But Lock had major struggles against a Chiefs defense that brought neverending and relentless pressure, as well as having several miscommunications between him and his receivers.
Lock finished the day going 18-of-40 for 208 yards and a bad interception in the red zone in the third quarter. However, there is a big silver lining to his performance on the day.
Lock showed incredible mental and physical toughness while under constant pressure from the Chiefs defense. Lock was only sacked twice but was officially hit 10 times, though it felt like a couple of dozen.
However — and this is key — he kept popping right back to his feet and tried to make plays. Lock stood tall, delivered the ball with poise, and kept his head held high. As imperfect as his individual performance was, he showed resilience in the face of overwhelming conditions while not getting much help from his supporting cast.
Sutton Imperfect on his Way to 1,000 Yards
Much like his predecessor Demaryius Thomas against the New England Patriots a few years back, Courtland Sutton had severe struggles in the heavy snow. Sutton had a pair of dropped passes on the afternoon and was a non-factor for the majority of the contest
However, Sutton continued to show why he is becoming a top receiver in the league with his efforts by eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his young career.
Sutton finished the afternoon with four catches for 79 yards, including a pair of big gainers in the fourth quarter. The young wideout has become one of the best players in the league at generating yards after the catch, and his 33-yard catch-and-run on a wide receiver screen out of his own end zone displayed his ability to take a short completion and turn it into an explosive play.
It might have been disappointing to see Sutton catch a mild case of the drops when the Broncos needed every possible domino to fall their way, but the sky is the limit with this young playmaker.
No Answer for Kelce
The most frustrating aspect of Sunday's game was easily the fact that the Broncos had no answer for Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Kelce's notoriously had big games against the Broncos in the past, but Sunday's game made one thing abundantly clear.
The Broncos desperately need a linebacker that can effectively cover tight ends in the passing game.
Kelce was wide-open all over the field and torched a myriad of Broncos defenders en route to an 11-catches, 142-yard day at the office. The Broncos tried several different coverage schemes, but Kelce easily deciphered them and repeatedly found the soft spots.
Combine that with the utter lack of a pass rush on Mahomes, and it was easy pitch-and-catch for the league's best tight end.
Broncos O-line Completely Out-Classed
Coming into the game, the Chiefs defense was ranked 28th in the NFL in stopping the run and with the weather being more conducive to running the football, it seemed a no-brainer to predict that the Broncos would be able to gain traction in the running game than through the air. That was most certainly not the case, though.
Chris Jones and the rest of the Chiefs defense were easily able to dismantle a battered Broncos offensive line that was without two starters, holding Denver to 52 rushing yards on 15 attempts.
It didn't help that the Chiefs offense was marching up and down the field at will, scoring points on five straight possessions, and forcing the Broncos to play catch-up with a rookie quarterback, but the fact remains. The Broncos were terrible upfront not only in opening holes for Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman but especially in attempting to protect the quarterback.
This might have been the worst performance of the season for the Broncos' O-line, even worse their nine-sack debacle against the Chiefs a couple of months ago.
Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
