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QB: Brady Quinn
RB: Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis
WR: John Baldwin, Dexter McCluster
TE: Steve Maneri
OL: Branden Albert (LT), Jeff Allen (LG), Ryan Lilja (C), Jon Asamoah(RG), Eric Winston (RT)
Chiefs Offensive Rankings:
Total offense: 22nd
Pass Offense: 31st
Rush Offense: 5th
Scoring Offense: 32nd
Broncos Offensive Rankings:
Total Offense: 4th
Pass Offense: 6th
Rush Offense: 18th
Scoring: 2nd
The Quarterbacks:
Chiefs:
Brady Quinn has been awful this year. On the year has 1092 yards, 2 TD's and 8 Ints. Quinn is completing 58% of his passes and has a QB rating of 60.8. So like i said, awful. Last time Quinn played the Broncos he went 13-25 for 126 yards and 1 Int. Look for the Broncos defense to get after Quinn when they can. I'm sure we'll get a heavy dose of Charles and Hillis. Quinn will be without his top target Dwayne Bowe who has been placed on the season ending IR. Honestly unless Brady Quinn has a career game, or Cassel or Stanzi come off the bench and light it up, i don't forse the KC passing attack being much of a threat.
Broncos:
It looks like we'll see Peyton play all of the game this sunday. The Broncos will know if they have a shot at the #1 seed by kick-off. If New England gets blown out by Miami, we could see Manning sit, otherwise look for him to play until the clock hits zero in the 4th. Now, Manning a Pro-Bowler has had a MVP type year. On the year Manning has totaled 4355 yards passing, 34 Tds and only 11 Ints. Manning has completed an impressive 68% of has a QB rating of 103.7 which is among the leagues best. Last time Manning played the Chiefs he totaled 285 yards passing and 2 TDs with 1 Int. KC's defense is decent, but will they bag it in? Or try to play spoiler? We shall see.
The Running Backs
Chiefs:
The Chiefs have one of the best running attacks in the league. If it wasn't for Adrian Peterson going nuts, people would be talking about Jamaal Charles as NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Charles on the year has 1456 yards rushing and has 5 TD's. Charles is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Peyton Hillis has contributed some. On the year Hillis has 305 yards rushing and 1 TD. The Broncos will stack the box and make the Chiefs pass the ball to move the ball on them. Last time the Broncos faced the Chiefs, Charles totaled 107 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Broncos:
Knowshon Moreno didn't top 100 yards on the ground last week, but did top 100 yards in total offense. On the year Moreno continues to have an impressive comeback from the bench. Moreno has 481 yards rushing and 3 TDs. Moreno is averaging a decent 3.9 YPC. Moreno has also contributed in the passing game. Moreno has 20 catches for 157 yards. Moreno has 85 yards rushing last time he played the Chiefs, and he added 4 catches for 26 yards. Ronnie Hillman has 82 carries for 317 yards. Hillman is averaging 3.9 YPC as well. Hillman had a good game last week, so we may see him carry the ball a few more times.
The Receivers/Tight Ends:
Chiefs:
Like i said earlier, the Chiefs placed WR Dwayne Bowe on the IR. In his absence WR's Dexter McCluster and John Baldwin figure to take over. On the year McCluster has 51 catches for 447 yards and 1 TD. Baldwin has 20 catches for 325 yards and 1 TD. As you can tell, outside of Bowe the Chiefs lack targets at WR. At Tight End Tony Moeaki has 31 catches for 432 yards and 1 TD. With Brady Quinn at QB, look for a lot of quick throws and not much production from this group of WR's and TE's.
Broncos:
Pro Bowl snub Demaryius Thomas continues to have a breakout year in 2012. On the year Thomas has 87 catches for 1312 yards and 9 TDs. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Starting next to him is Eric Decker who is also having a breakout year. On the year Decker has totaled 78 catches for 988 yards and team high 11 TDs. Veteran Brandon Stokley hasn't done too much lately, but he has 42 catches for 495 yards and 5 TDs. Tight End Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen have had solid years. Tamme on the year has 51 catches for 542 yards and 2 TDs, and Dreessen has 39 catches for 341 yards and 5 TDs. Look for Manning to spread the ball around and find the open guy.
Offensive Line:
Chiefs:
The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line ranks 21st in the NFL. They have allowed 36 sacks and 83 QB hits. If given the opportunity, look for the Broncos defense to get after Quinn. Behind the Chiefs OL, runners have averaged a very good 4.9 YPC. The Chiefs are a great running team, so the Broncos front seven will have their hands full.
Broncos:
The Denver Broncos offensive line ranks 2nd in the NFL. They have allowed only 21 sacks on the year and a league low 45 QB hits. This has earned Ryan Clady a Pro - Bowl selection and Zane Beadles has been selected as an alternate. Behind the Broncos offensive line runners have averaged an average 3.8 YPC. Not the best average, but still a good one.