Chiefs vs. Broncos: Patrick Mahomes faces toughest test yet
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs go on the road in Week 4 to face their toughest test yet, the Denver Broncos, on Monday Night Football.
No single player has generated the excitement that Patrick Mahomes has with the Kansas City Chiefs to start the 2018 season. There was already hype about him coming into his first year as the starter, but he’s answered the call in a massive way. Having said that, he’s still just three games into this season. And in Week 4 in primetime, he’ll face the toughest defense he’s seen yet, the Denver Broncos, on the road.
Despite the test before him, what Mahomes has done to this point has been remarkable. En route to leading the Chiefs to a 3-0 start to the season, the second-year quarterback has already thrown for 13 touchdowns. Whether it’s Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt or Sammy Watkins, the weapons around him are abundant and he’s taking full advantage of them.
The defense for Kansas City, however, has not been good at all. Their secondary has major holes in the wake of trading Marcus Peters this offseason, while the front-seven can only be described as average at best. Thus, it’s necessary for the Chiefs offense to be as good as they have been, because they need to outscore teams.
As for the Broncos, they aren’t the elite defense that they used to be after seeing guys like Aqib Talib no longer in the secondary. Von Miller, however, is still there, as is Chris Harris and this group overall still remains solid. Having said that, they too are going to be tested against the best offense that they’ve faced this year.
Offensively, the returns on new Broncos quarterback Case Keenum have been mixed. He’s made some solid plays and is an upgrade from the 2017 disaster at the position, but he’s not been as good as he was in Minnesota last season. Even still, breakout playmaker rookies Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman in addition to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas still makes this offense potent at their best.
TV and Live Stream info
Date: Monday, Oct. 1, 2018
Start Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Denver, CO
Stadium: Broncos Stadium at Mile High
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: FuboTV, WatchESPN
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The oddsmakers are clearly buying into what the Chiefs are selling this season. Even on the road in a tough place to play against a solid Broncos team, Kansas City is still favored by a non-neglibile amount of points. Meanwhile, the Over/Under clearly shows that they believe Mahomes and Co. are about to score.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Kansas City -3.5
Moneyline: Kansas City -185, Denver +170
Over/Under: 54.5
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Prediction
Even on the road, playing in the altitude against the best defense they’ve faced to this point, I’m still all-in on the Chiefs offense with Mahomes at the helm. Their offensive line remains underrated and quality and their weapons are just too plentiful for any team to hope to stop consistently. Maybe it’s not a 50-point outing, but Kansas City should move to 4-0 with a win over the Broncos.
Final Score: Kansas City 31, Denver 27