Preview of Week 11 - Chiefs at Broncos - 9-0 vs 8-1 - Prime-Time Game of the Year

There is no question this Sunday night's game is the game everyone will be talking about. It looks as if this is a contest between the explosive Broncos offense and the smothering Chiefs defense. While that is still a pretty accurate assessment of the most anticipated aspect of this game, I'd like to go over what it'll take for the Chiefs to win.

I thought I'd combine my mid-season preview analyzing our players with the impact they'll need to have on this particular game. Here are the top ten impact players and what they can do and what they can't do on Sunday for us to win. They are in order of my consideration of their magnitude of impact.

1. Alex Smith. He's smart, he's resourceful, he's athletic. What he can't do Sunday: Refuse to connect with open receivers. His Achilles heal is his throws, about a third of them just don't get to receivers when they are wide open. Sure all NFL quarterbacks can't be 100% accurate all the time, but with Smith, it just seems to happen much more often than it should.

2. Jamaal Charles. He's quick, he's fast, he's resilient. What he can't do Sunday: Get injured. Really, that's the only thing that would keep him from being a major factor in a Chiefs win. In fact I worry that Andy Reid is just using him far too much and the wear could get to him. The other aggravating thing is if we just can't get any vertical passing game going, the Broncos could key on him so much that he is throttled.

3. Dustin Colquitt. Yes, our punter, who's one of the greatest ever, and really, a critical part of our defense. What he can't do Sunday: Get anything less than a good 40+ yards on every punt. With the Broncos offense as potent as it is, it is imperative to keep them from having even decent field position. Again, those extra plays an offense has to have starting from the 10 or worse will give us an edge we will need.

4. Justin Houston. He slobbers over quarterbacks who hang around in the pocket, like Peyton Manning. What he can't do Sunday: Let them block him. Houston has got to frustrate Manning and get him out of his rhythm. Our defensive backfield this year is okay, but not great. Most of the pass defense's effectiveness is shutting down QB's at the line.

5. Tamba Hali. Ditto. (See "Justin Houston" just above there.)

6. Dontari Poe. He's done great being the rock around which our D-line stands up the opponent's O-line. What he can't do Sunday: Give their backs very many holes to run through. If Denver can get any kind of ground game going it'll be a terribly long night. This, I believe is the key behind whether or not we can keep this close or get blasted by a blistering pass offense.

7. Eric Berry. He's quick, he's fast, he's got laser instincts for the ball. What he can't do Sunday: Get burnt. While he's a fantastic safety, Berry can struggle against big strong receivers, and from what I've seen, every receiver Denver has except very slippery Wes Welker is big and strong. He has also sometimes put himself in poor position to defend effectively against quick-release passes, and which quarterback has one of the quickest releases ever in the history of NFL anything?...

8. Dwayne Bowe. Let's just face it, this guy is the classic Chiefs Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He's either jaw-dropping phenomenal or head-shakingly putrid. What he can't do Sunday: It's simple -- he can't not be jaw-dropping phenomenal. I really believe for the Chiefs to have a chance we've got to have some meaningful, effective, productive vertical passing game. Yeah we may be able to get by with a few catches from Donnie Avery, Dexter McCluster, and Jamaal Charles, we absolutely cannot get by without a profoundly -- and I mean profoundly meaningful contribution from Bowe.

9. Derrick Johnson. One of the fastest, smoothest, beastest run-stuffers in the game. What he can't do Sunday: Disappear. This guy intrigues me as much as Bowe does. Really, for three or four straight plays he's in the mix, always there, making the hits to which we all marvel. But then for a couple plays, he just doesn't seem to be there. Yes, we can't expect greatness every play, I know -- as a fan I expect too much. Oh well, just a Chiefs fan, that's all. But the thing with Johnson is that the other team will get some big play that is just demoralizing, and I know, it isn't as if it is D.J's fault by any means. But sometimes with those plays he's just overpursuing or not where he should be or something. The Chiefs this year have been very prone to big plays, and if Denver gets just a few... I shudder with that thought...

10. Anthony Fasano. A terrific tight end who's been slowed by injuries. What he can't do Sunday: Be invisible. Alex Smith's passing skills require a good, go-to tight end. When Fasano came back a few weeks ago I thought we'd start to see him making at least five, six catches a game, maybe even a couple more that were particularly clutch ones. I think he's had no more than two or three in every game since.

Those are my top ten. Yes I could put in our corners, Brandon Flowers, Sean Smith, and Marcus Cooper who've got to be on their game to cover those fine Denver receivers, but I mentioned them above with remarks about Dontari Poe. I could add remarks about Dexter McCluster, who's really turned into our best receiver and has got to get that fine separation he's regularly been getting this Sunday. And what about our offensive linemen? I'd heard Denver's weakness is their defense, but if they can get to Alex Smith it'll be a very uncomfortable evening for Chiefs fans Sunday night.

There you go. The special Chiefs Game Today look at Sunday night. You may think, "Hey, why so negative? Why so much with the 'What you can't do Sunday' stuff? That's just depressing talk there, Dave. Let's be positive and cheer on our team!"

It's just I want to share my thoughts, offer a realistic take on what Sunday night might look like. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe we can win, I do. But the realism: The Chiefs have got to perform. I think they're capable of it, and I'm looking forward to them putting it to the Broncos, I am.

But we'll just have to see Sunday night, won't we?
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