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The Denver Broncos are 3-14 all-time in Arrowhead Stadium and 3-19 against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in general during the month of December, so they’d need to buck some serious trends to come out of this week with a victory.
However, it is Drewcember, so perhaps that momentum will carry the Broncos through.
Most of us don’t think Drew Lock will be able to overcome the reality that the Chiefs are a very good football team and the Broncos have never really found success in Arrowhead in December. John Elway had one win there in December. Peyton Manning had one win there in December. Kyle Orton had one win total in December in three seasons and it was in Arrowhead. Can Drew Lock add his name to this list?
Collectively, we don’t think that’ll happen. We see a Chiefs 29-24 win over the Broncos, but individually we vary wildly with the actual outcome.
Chiefs 31, Broncos 21
I believe this will be the game where Drew Lock is frustrated and the Chiefs defense will expose him as a rookie. The big difference here will be how Lock maintains his composure. He has been calm under pressure, so I think that despite the early struggles he will lead Denver to a few scores late to make the game a lot closer than it would have been. Either way, we should remain excited about Lock. If he leads Denver to win... well, I’m going to go nuts. So while I’m predicting a loss here, know that my heart is all-in on a win. - Tim Lynch
Chiefs 24, Broncos 20
The Chiefs are a flawed team and give up a lot of yards but are only allowing one point more per game than the Broncos. This one will show off two gunslingers who will hopefully begin a long-time rivalry this Sunday. Do I expect Denver to win? No. But I didn’t last week either and I do think they keep it close. If the defense plays like they are capable and Lock doesn’t make big mistakes, our boys should at least cover the 10 point spread. - Kevin Gillikin
Broncos 27, Chiefs 24
It is very likely that the Kansas City Chiefs win easily at home in December against a rookie QB. That’s common sense. That’s how the NFL rolls and Drew Lock is due for some regression to the mean. But I’m here to say why not? Lock is going to his hometown and from everything I can tell is a guy who has an ego. Rich Scangarello is going to have a game plan dialed up to take down the AFC West’s Goliath and has the benefit of already seeing them once this year. Predictions are silly and this fan has hope. - Sadaraine
Chiefs 34, Broncos 30
The Broncos vs the Chiefs, in Arrowhead, in December feels like one of the most David vs Goliath matchups you could construct in the NFL in 2019. That said, this plucky little David has already proven to be a giant killer after nearly knocking off the Vikings and then thrashing the Texans in two other away games. A 3rd iteration of that story hinges on Drew Lock’s ability to overcome adversity against the best pass defense he’ll face in his 5 game stretch as the Broncos’ starting QB. Fortunately, the rushing offense is set up for a field day and Mahomes hasn’t quite been himself due to injuries.
This whole predicting losses because I’m wrong every week thing still feels weird, but it’s worked two weeks in a row and it’s only weird if it doesn’t work. - Taylor Kothe
Chiefs 31, Broncos 14
I suspect the Broncos pass defense is going to have serious issues after playing way over their heads against the Texans. On the other side of the ball Broncos’ Country is going to get angry at the coaching staff for trying to take the ball out of Lock’s hands to attack the Chief’s soft run D. When he does air it out, the rookie will face the best pass defense of his young career and struggle. - Joe Rowles
Broncos 27, Chiefs 24
Despite the historic struggles the Broncos have in December at Arrowhead, I’m with sad — why not this Sunday? As I told Adam on the MHR Radio Podcast, Denver has the belief and confidence it can win this game. And it starts with Lock. For the first time since Peyton Freaking Manning, the Broncos have trust in their quarterback. Does that mean Lock won’t struggle or hit road bumps? Of course not. But that belief and swag Lock has will be amplified as he heads into the stadium he went to as a kid to play the team he rooted for. This should be a fun game, and it will be more fun when Lock becomes only the fourth Denver quarterback to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead in December. - Ian St. Clair
Chiefs 34, Broncos 30
The Broncos are riding high off a big win over a top AFC opponent. As Ian and I discussed on the MHR Radio Podcast, Fangio’s defensive game plan against the Texans was a great example of what the defense needs to do to keep the Chiefs in check. However, playing in KC in December is never an easy task, and a rookie QB with only 2 games under his belt is likely to struggle with difficult road conditions. Crowd noise is always a factor, and the Chiefs are chasing a first round playoff bye.
I think Denver’s offense will continue to play well, and put points on the board, but this could be more of a shootout than is expected. It will be a strong showing, but in the end Kansas City probably has too much fire power. - Adam Malnati