The Denver Broncos will play the Kansas City Chiefs on NFL Thursday Night Football tonight, and with both teams winning their opening Week 1 games, there is a lot at stake as the Broncos and Chiefs look to stake claim of the top spot in the AFC West division. Tonight's game has a scheduled start time of 8.25 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network.
The Broncos navigated their way past a tough Baltimore Ravens team in Week 1, claiming a 19-13 victory. The Broncos managed to win even though they never really let loose in offense. A total yardage gain of 219 yards in that game leaves them ranked at 31 in the league, and just 69 yards on rush was just as unimpressive.
But a win is a win, and Peyton Manning and his team will definitely prefer getting the results with poor statistics rather than piling on the impressive stats but coming away with a loss. Manning himself completed 24 of 40 throws for 175 yards and zero touchdowns in week 1.
The man standing opposite of Manning today, Alex Smith had no such problems last week, completing 22 of 33 throws for 243 yards and three touchdowns as the Chiefs won their game against the Houston Texans 27-20.
The Chiefs now have two extremely tough games; first up are their AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos, and at the end of the month in Week 3 they will go on the road to take on the Green Bay Packers for Monday Night Football.
Smith will be hoping he and Travis Kelce can continue their good connection tonight. Against the Texans, Kelce received the ball six times, going 106 yards for an average gain of 17.7 yards, scoring two touchdowns in the process.
Jamaal Charles also managed to score a touchdown, and in Week 1 he went 46 yards on 5 receives for an average gain of 9.2 yards.
In the AFC West, it looks like it could be a tight year. In Week 1, three of the teams in the division all won – the Broncos, Chiefs, as well as the San Diego Chargers. That leaves the Oakland Raiders as the only team to lose in the division in the opening week.
However, there is a long way to go this season, and today's game is packed with implications for how things will ultimately turn out. The Chiefs are hoping to catch the Broncos out early on in the season while they are still finding their feet, and a win today would put them in a strong position moving forward. But a Broncos win here could be the first signs that the Broncos will ultimately run away with the division title again this season.
Tonight's NFL Thursday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs has a scheduled start time of 8.25 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through NFL Network live stream by clicking here.
