Peyton Manning must rely on Emmanuel Sanders again

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was three yards shy of setting the record for the most career passing yards, and he and the team also came up short in their upset bid over the Indianapolis Colts and an injured Andrew Luck. Manning tossed two scores, including a beautiful long ball to star wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and hit up the previously struggling Owen Daniels for over 100 yards. However, the struggling legend added two more picks to his running total of 13, and one of those picks sealed the loss for Denver.

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He’ll head into Week 10 with a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, which are a stronger team than their 3-5 record indicates. They no longer have Jamaal Charles, but it’s worth bearing in mind that Andy Reid is 14-2 in his career when coaching off of the bye. And, as we all know, the Chiefs were a collapse away from upsetting the Broncos back in Week 2. More importantly, Charcandrick West is averaging 4.6 yards per carry as Charles’s replacement, and the Broncos won’t have superstars DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib on their side.

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It would be an utter shock for the Chiefs to have sustained success against the Broncos elite defense, which is still off-the-charts even without Talib and Ware (nobody should be sleeping on Shaq Barrett, especially after watching what he did when Ware was out with an injury earlier this season). That said, K.C. is 12th in the NFL in points per game, so they won’t wilt and die either.

All of these factors put more pressure on Manning, particularly since the Chiefs will surely put the pressure on him. Justin Houston and Tamba Hali are enough to scare anyone, but Manning will also have to note the improved play of the Chiefs secondary. As a defense, the Chiefs are 14th in points allowed per game, 13th in net yards per pass attempt, and 13th in picks. They are burn-prone and give up too many touchdowns, but they can make plays, which is something Peyton will have to be wary of.

When Manning last faced the Chiefs in Week 2, he attempted a whopping 45 passes but was only able to complete 57.8% of them for a ghastly 5.7 yards per attempt. That’s not getting it done, and only his 3:1 TD:INT ratio (his only game of the season with more than two TD passes, by the way) made his stat line look good.

That week, Manning rode No. 2 receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who absolutely tore everyone up and was able to avoid being taken out of the game by Marcus Peters, who had a field day with star wideout Demaryius Thomas. Sanders is one of the most difficult receivers in the NFL to cover due to his quickness, agility, and ability to burn defense’s downfield. He also scored two touchdowns on eight receptions for 87 yards against Kansas City, and we can expect an encore performance this week.

Sep 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) catches a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Denver won the game 31-24. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Firstly, per Football Outsiders, the Chiefs are still one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending opposing No. 2 receivers.

Even with stud CB Sean Smith back to form a talented duo with the rookie Peters, the Chiefs allow 81.5 receiving yards per game to No. 2 wideouts. In case you are wondering, yes, that is indeed the worst mark in the NFL, and that doesn’t bode well against a receiver who is easily one of the game’s marquee No. 2 receivers.

Just last week, Sanders took an Indianapolis Colts defense that is 15th in FO’s DVOA stat against WR2s (the Chiefs are 28th) to task by catching six passes for 90 yards and a TD.

This came after a two-catch dud against the Green Bay Packers, so it’s safe to say that Sanders is back on-form after back-to-back 100-yard receiving days in Week 5 and 6 against the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns, respectively, prior to the bye.

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The Chiefs have an excellent outside linebacker duo and aren’t short on talent in the secondary, so Manning won’t have an easy battle ahead of him as a QB with a 9:13 TD:INT ratio who is also coming off of a 58.3% completion percentage and multiple picks in Week 9.

Once again, Manning’s best shot at dethroning the Chiefs will be to utilize Sanders to the fullest extend, taking advantage of a favorable matchup. Sanders could be the key to this game as one of the league’s most versatile wide receivers.