Broncos Win Third Straight to Reach 5-2, and Kansas City Comes to Town Next |
The Broncos are 5-2 after a 30-16 win at Arizona, their third straight victory. Kansas City visits Empower Field on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2:25 p.m. on CBS. |
Three weeks ago, the Denver Broncos were 2-2 and still carrying a 31-10 season-opening loss at Kansas City. Now they're 5-2 after Sunday's 30-16 win at Arizona, their third straight victory. The timing is interesting: the Chiefs come to Empower Field at Mile High this Sunday.
The big-play game
Denver's offense hit on the kind of chunk plays that swing road games. RJ Harvey scored on a 52-yard touchdown, and Marvin Mims picked up 47 yards to set up a JK Dobbins touchdown, according to Pro Football Talk. The site counted those two plays and a long run by Bo Nix among the four longest plays of Denver's season. That means much of the year's big-play output arrived in a single afternoon.
Closer than 30-16 looks
The defense earned its share of the credit, mostly near its own goal line. Arizona came away without a touchdown on two first-half trips inside the Denver 10. Late in the game, the Cardinals drove to the Denver 1-yard line before the Broncos held, and Nix then kneeled out the clock. Arizona tight end Trey McBride was a problem all day, finishing with 10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
The win came with a cost worth watching. Waddle (chest) and Zach Allen (hamstring) both left late and did not return, per Pro Football Talk. Their status this week could shape Sunday as much as anything that happened in Arizona.
How the streak came together
Oct. 11: A 23-17 win at the Los Angeles Chargers, who dropped to 0-5. Denver moved to 3-2.
Oct. 15: A 17-14 overtime win over Seattle on a Thursday night, pushing the record to 4-2.
Oct. 25: The 30-16 win over Arizona, now 2-5. It also evened Denver's road record at 2-2 after earlier losses at Kansas City and San Francisco.
What's at stake Sunday
The rematch with Kansas City is Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2:25 p.m. Mountain time on CBS, according to the Broncos' official schedule. It's Denver's chance to show how much has changed since that lopsided Monday night in September. Pro Football Talk suggested a win over Kansas City "would set up a good race in the AFC West." For Centennial fans, it's also a home game the day after Halloween.
The rest of November matters too. Denver visits Carolina on Nov. 8 (CBS), takes its bye the following week, hosts the Raiders on Nov. 22, and plays at Pittsburgh on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. That Pittsburgh game streams on Prime Video, so households that rely on over-the-air TV will want to sort out their plans ahead of time.
How to follow along
Kickoff times and broadcast details can shift, so check the Broncos schedule or NFL.com's Broncos page before game day. NFL.com lists Eastern times, so subtract two hours for Centennial.
Your turn: Is this three-game run the real Broncos, or will the Kansas City rematch tell us more than the last three weeks did? |
27 Comments
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Feels a little like fool's gold, not gonna lie. Let's see how they look after November's done.
Cardinals almost made it interesting, but bend-not-break D worked. KC is another level, though.
Absolutely, the defense held strong in big moments against Arizona, but facing the Chiefs is always a new challenge and will be a big test for the unit.
OT win vs Seattle was huge, that game could've gone either way. Shows the defense has guts.
Why do the Broncos always play their best after a bad start? Maybe we just need a warm up month every year!
Anyone else planning to head to Empower for the Chiefs? Would love to finally see a home win over them.
Glad our bye is after Carolina. Gives us a chance to rest guys before finishing the month strong.
Did anyone else think the ref spots were a little odd all day? Arizona almost got away with some big ones.
Honestly, happy just to see positive yardage instead of 3-and-outs. Play-calling looks more creative now.
KC scares me, but if we stop those chunk plays and keep Mahomes off the field, we stand a chance.
Please, can defense keep holding teams at the goal line like they did vs Cards? That's what'll win games.
Bo Nix scrambling for that long run was the best part. He looked way more comfortable this week.
I wouldn't get too hyped yet. Arizona's not exactly top tier, and Chargers are 0-5. Let's see what happens vs Mahomes.
I love the home game on Nov. 1 right after Halloween. Tailgating should be wild. Chiefs fans better behave.
Was at the Chargers game and it felt like the season kinda turned around that day. Feels good to get a streak going!
Hope Waddle's injury isn't serious. We're already thin on offense, need everyone for KC.
Fingers crossed as well, Waddle's and Allen's injuries late in the game are key storylines to watch this week, especially facing a tough Chiefs squad.
Linda F.Yeah, losing Waddle now would really sting. Fingers crossed he’s good to go by Sunday, we’ll need all the playmakers we can get.
I'm just glad we finally have some big plays. Feels like ages since Denver had long touchdowns.
Appreciate the TV tips, never would've known about the Prime Video switch for Pittsburgh. These Thursday/Friday games are tricky.
Ugh, that 31-10 opener still haunts me. But the team looks way different now. I want to believe.
Trey McBride was insane for Arizona. Our defense held strong though. That was close.
Every time Denver plays KC at home, I get my hopes up. Maybe this time is different. Crossing fingers for no last minute heartbreaker.
We know that feeling, Denver fans have been waiting for a home win against KC, and this game could truly set a new tone for the rest of the season.
Really hope Mims gets more targets after that big play. Showed some serious speed out there.
Thanks for highlighting Mims, his speed was definitely on display, and that big gain shows why coaches may look his way more often moving forward.
Was not expecting three wins in a row, but that Harvey run was unreal. If Allen and Waddle are out though, KC is gonna be tough.