Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos, Bo Nix to TAKE ON Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 on Monday Night Football

Starting point is 00:00:00 The next great quarterback rivalry in the NFL kicks off for the Denver Broncos to open up the season on Monday night football. Bo Nix versus Patrick Mahomes. It'll be must-see TV. You are locked-on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. What's up? Broncos Country.

Starting point is 00:00:26 I'm Cody York. Joined as always by Sarah Bedinger. Today's episode of the show, folks. It is revealed who the Broncos will be playing week one. it's going to be a Monday night football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll go through some of our key matchups. We're excited to see it, not including PS2 versus a combination of Xavier Worthy and Rishie Rice. Plus, Denver's defense is going to face a tough test against Kenneth Walker,

Starting point is 00:00:48 and they've had history opening up the season against each other before. But more importantly, it is Bo Nix versus Patrick Mahomes, prime time, Monday night football. We just don't know where it is being played just yet here. But it is must-see TV. Sarah, this is weird because usually as the NFL is rolling out their schedule, which we're excited for here coming up on Thursday. We'll have a complete reaction and breakdown episode for you here, Broncos Country. But usually as the week goes on, like Monday through Thursday,

Starting point is 00:01:16 they start to reveal certain games of the week. And they start to reveal maybe specific primetime games, some international games. The Broncos were announced as the season opener on Monday night football against AFC West Division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. We don't know if this is in Denver. We don't know if this is an Arrowhead, but you know what? I'm planting my flag in the stance and saying it doesn't matter where it's being played. The Broncos, they got to get going.

Starting point is 00:01:42 Yeah, and it doesn't matter where it's being played because ultimately, if you get a matchup early in the year at Arrowhead, that means that you avoid having to go there later in the year and playing in the cold, which we know that, I mean, that's always tough. I mean, the later it gets into the season, it feels like at least under Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes, the harder it is to play the Kansas City Chiefs. And so early in the season gives you an opportunity to also catch Patrick Mahomes,

Starting point is 00:02:08 potentially in his first game back from injury. And I think that it's fascinating that the NFL scheduled this game when they did, Cody, because we know you're not putting this game on, you know, Sunday at noon. You're not putting this game, you know, in an obscure slot. You're putting it on Monday night football, which to me indicates that the NFL is very optimistic that both Bowdo Nix and Patrick Mahomes are going to be out there. and we've seen reports that sort of lead us all to believe that anyway, right? Patrick Mahomes, supposed to be ready for all of OTAs and things like that.

Starting point is 00:02:39 He's been working really hard to get back from that knee injury that was just tough to watch last year. Honestly, I had some family members at that game, and they said that the entire energy was just sucked out of that entire stadium when that happened, Cody. Understandably so. It's the star player of their team, but also for Broncos country and Bo Nix. The last time we saw him on the field was the divisional round victory. and we're all thinking to ourselves, shoot, they could actually go ahead and do this thing. And as we're celebrating a win,

Starting point is 00:03:06 then we find out the devastating news that everybody thought was fake news initially. So now, you know, the NFL clearly seems to think both of these guys are going to play because they're putting them in the top prime time slot. Like this is the biggest year ever for the NFL and ESPN. ESPN's hosting the Super Bowl. Like this is massive.

Starting point is 00:03:26 So they want this matchup. They coveted this matchup. And literally the NFL, ESPN, they don't care where it's being played. They're like, we want Broncos and Chiefs. Well, I can tell you this, talk to some people that I know that work for ESPN. They are rolling out the red carpet this year because ESPN, they want to host more Super Bowls on cable. They really believe they're going to roll out the red carpet and have a big spectacular presentation of it. They want to start off the season with the bang on Monday night football.

Starting point is 00:03:54 And they want to conclude the NFL season with the bang with obviously Super Bowl 61. and hopefully the Broncos start the year on ESPN, and hopefully they end the year on ESPN. That is our hope here for everyone in Broncos country. But look, here's the thing, too, because a lot of people are talking about Patrick Mahomes, his knee injury. September is going to put him right around nine months.

Starting point is 00:04:13 And typically sometimes we looked at ACL injuries as a nine to 12 month recovery, but medical technology has advanced so much. We've seen guys return after six months. So for Mahomes, not only did he have the ACL, but he had the MCL. the LCO, which is the lateral collateral ligament. It's on the outside of the knee. There was a bone bruise associated with that.

Starting point is 00:04:34 So that was a very painful aspect of his recovery. I would know. I've experienced that myself. But he should be ready to go for this game. Now, to your point, right? Even if he's ready to go, it is his first action back since the ACL. What is it like in a game flow when you have to run away from guys like Nick

Starting point is 00:04:50 Benito, Jonathan Cooper, that have gotten pressure on Mahomes, Zach Allen, like these things, I think right now on paper, you look at it, say, you know what? even if Mahomes plays, you feel good if you're Denver because of the defense that you have, but you also feel like it's going to be a little bit of a learning process for Mahomes to try to get really comfortable to get back to where he wants to be. That's an advantage, I think, into Denver's favor here. But you know what I liked about the billing of this matchup? Joe Buck appeared on Good Morning America, where this was revealed and announced to the world.

Starting point is 00:05:19 It's going to be Denver versus Kansas City. This is what we have talked about as could this be the next great rivalry for a Denver Broncos quarterback, well, you get a go against Patrick Mahomes. These two guys have so much respect for one another, but we've seen Bo Nix out dual Patrick Mahomes in that first game that they ever played there at Arrowhead. And then last year, right before the buy week, the Broncos, Bo Nix let a game winning drive

Starting point is 00:05:44 at the end against Mahomes and company. Bo is a guy that is changing the narrative. But Joe Buck went to the links of saying, like, you get Bo Nix versus Patrick Mahomes. This is why you want to watch this game. So the national recognition about where Bo is out, where the Broncos are at, and obviously in comparison to the chiefs who have earned their spot in terms of getting that respect, this is what you want.

Starting point is 00:06:06 This is better, I think, than anything you could have asked for because not only are the Broncos going to play a tougher schedule, but you know what, you get to play against Patrick Mahomes, week one, go out there and win, showcase that this Broncos team is for real. To me, that's what I'm excited to see this team prove. It's honestly like the perfect mix of narratives and stories. lines to for the NFL's perspective like think about that mohomes first game back from knee injury he's never had a season ending injury like that before so like that's going to draw a ton of attention in the first place but then you add the Denver broncos now into the mix who they've been part of some of the

Starting point is 00:06:43 most watched games in the NFL over the last couple of years and the NFL knows that they're saying hey when the broncos are playing well they are drawing a ton of ratings like people whether they love him or him, they are enamored by Bo Nix. Like people are obsessed with Bo Nix, Cody. They're obsessed with hate watching Bo Nix or people love watching Bo Nix. And that's just the reality. So I think the same is true of Patrick Mahomes, right? There's certain people who just love to watch the Chiefs downfall.

Starting point is 00:07:12 They'll root for the Broncos in this game just because they hate the Kansas City Chiefs. And they're kind of that new New England Patriots, right, where it's like the dynasty. You don't want them to be staying at the top of the NFL. So it's just the perfect mixture. of storylines for the NFL to be able to get as many eyes as possible on a regular season game. And I would be shocked, Cody, even if, you know, even if there is a delay in either of these quarterbacks recovery, which we don't believe there will be, I still think it's going to be the most watched game of week one. I think it's going to be the most watched game and the NFL is

Starting point is 00:07:46 going to prove itself right by putting these two teams in that slot. It's a no-brainer. And it's just cool to be back in this position, isn't it? Because there was a time, where the Broncos weren't getting any prime time games, right, for a couple of years there. So, and not only, not only were they not getting the primetime games, but if they did get any, you were like, oh, gosh, like we got to, we got to watch them play against Kansas City again in the, you know, under the lights or we got to watch them. Like, it felt like a punishment more than it was like an honor. And now it's like, how many times can we get this team in the prime time slot?

Starting point is 00:08:19 Because we know fans are going to tune in. And let me ask you this because we don't know the official schedule just yet. we know this game. This is one primetime game. Do you think Denver gets the max allotted prime time spots here this upcoming season? 100%. It's five games, isn't it? Five.

Starting point is 00:08:34 Yeah, I think they're, I mean, obviously they'll get a Monday. They've got a Monday night. Now we know that. They'll get a Thursday night. Every team gets one. So they're for sure going to have two. And then beyond that, you know, what are you thinking? Are you thinking, you know, all the Sunday night games that will out of those five?

Starting point is 00:08:49 I think they'll get at least one or two. Broncos Patriots, Sunday night football at some point. Come on. setting up for for something very excited like that has to be a marquee matchup so we'll count on that also even another thing too when we talk about the schedule lease like when they initially announced the first sunday night football game of the year they're like it's going to be the cowboys and the giants i was like great something you guys got to done something more into nobody's caring about dallas and the giants to open up the season on sunday night and then

Starting point is 00:09:17 they're they're announcing that thanksgiving games oh it's the cowboys and the eagles it's like give us something that we actually care about i mean actually I just, one of the Broncos going to play a freaking Thanksgiving game. The last time they did it was Ron Dane ran wild all over the Dallas Cowboys. That was the last time. So we'll see if that happens here in the near future. We'll find out obviously the official schedule fully on Thursday. And we'll find out whether or not this game is played at Empire Field a mile high or at Arrowhead Stadium.

Starting point is 00:09:46 I'm not going to call it the GEHA, whatever stadium they want to go by. It is Arrowhead. So Broncos country, let's know your thoughts here. Monday night football, Bo Nix versus Pack. Patrick Mahomes, how excited are you less known here on today's episode show? But coming up next, one thing we're going to look at with that matchup in particular, the Broncos defense will be facing Kenneth Walker, who comes over as the former Super Bowl MVP in Denver, has opened up a season against Kenneth Walker before, and it didn't necessarily go as great.

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Starting point is 00:12:24 reigning Super Bowl champions in week one, but they are going to be taking on the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Kenneth Walker has joined the Kansas City Chiefs. And if there's anything that we've learned from the Denver Broncos in recent years, it's that they need to be ready to have some teeth against the run, especially going up against a back like Kenneth Walker. And we're going to talk about that matchup and more on today's episode of the show. And Cody and I just want to say thank you to all you every dayers out there who make lockdown Broncos, part of your day, your first listen of the day every single day. And if you're looking for another way to support the show, we'd really appreciate

Starting point is 00:12:56 you considering checking out the everyday or club. You're getting an ad-free episode of Lockdown Broncos every single day and access to our Discord. So check out Lockdownbroncos.supercast.com link in the show notes as well. Cody, it was Bo Nix's very first NFL game in Seattle in which we got some context for now this sort of repeat situation that we're facing here. Kenneth Walker against the Denver Broncos in week one. Back in 2024, he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Starting point is 00:13:26 And the Broncos struggled to stop Kenneth Walker in that particular game. And now they have to go up against him twice a year. So that notable addition by the Kansas City Chiefs, fixing that running game, bringing back Eric B. enemy to coach up the backs. That's a huge deal as the Broncos, you know, they couldn't really stop James Cook in that the last two playoffs. Let's just be honest about it.

Starting point is 00:13:50 So they need to get ready to defend against the run from the start of this next season. And, you know, the crazy thing about Denver last year, Sarah, they were one of the NFL's best run defenses in the league, except any time they had to face off against James Cook. They did a pretty great job of corraling Saquan Barkley outside of the passing game where obviously they opened up the second half with a wheel route touchdown. Unfortunately, I mean, for them, it didn't matter because the Broncos came back and won that game in week five. but Kenneth Walker is Super Bowl MVP, someone that you and I had on our list of potential free agents

Starting point is 00:14:24 that we would like the Broncos to be interested in initially before anything and everything else, right? Obviously, that was not the case. It was pretty much almost set in stone. He was going to Kansas City. That was like one of the very first moves that was announced when NFL free agency began. But to your point, about 2024, when Bow Nix opened up his NFL career against Seattle, the Broncos defense, Kenneth Walker had some big plays against them, especially late in that game. He finished the game with 20 rushing attempts for 103 yards.

Starting point is 00:14:51 He was averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He did have one touchdown. And Denver did tackle him a couple times behind the line of scrimmage. I think for a safety in that game, they had one. But for Walker, here's why the Chiefs went out and they got him. He's a big physical running back. He can be a finesse guy. We obviously saw what he was able to do against the New England Patriots defense in the Super Bowl.

Starting point is 00:15:12 He wore them down. And he ended up being the difference maker late on that game. He had a 70-yard touchdown run called back due to a penalty that would have made that blowout against New England a lot bigger. Now he goes to Kansas City where they've gone out there and they want to try to take pressure off of Patrick Mahomes coming off of the knee injury saying, hey, we don't want him to have to do too much. We need to get the run game going. They've revamped that room. Not only do you have Kenneth Walker, they go out there and they draft Emmett Johnson out of Nebraska, who's a very talented player.

Starting point is 00:15:38 I know a lot of people in Broncos country were eyeing him as a potential prospect for the Broncos in the NFL draft. but Denver's got to be on their P's and Q's here against Kenneth Walker. Is there anything early on when you look at Denver's defense? Obviously, the losses, the additions. Do you think that there's anything that concerns you about this matchup in particular going against Kenneth Walker? I think it's just the fact that it's new for the Chiefs, right? It's when you have familiarity with an opponent, obviously you kind of get used to their tendencies,

Starting point is 00:16:08 you get used to the way that they like to do things. And I'm pretty sure since Sean Payton's come aboard, Cody, their running game has kind of just, it's either struggled or it's kind of been in a slow decline. And so they've been a bit more one dimensional against Denver with guys like Pacheco out there or whoever it else, whoever else it is that they've had. And so it feels like now you're just adding something new and you're adding that wrinkle that's like, hey, there's no tape out there on what to expect from this and how they're going to utilize everybody. But also just the fact that because they could feed Kenneth Walker and really lean on it.

Starting point is 00:16:43 on him, that gives that balance back to the offense in a way, right? So the defense is going to have to be absolutely on point for this one. And knowing that, hey, there's still going to be the DNA of the Kansas City Chiefs. This is still Andy Reed. This is still his offense. It's what he does. But now you've got better talent at the running back position, and you're going to have to be ready to see that guy get featured in a number of different ways.

Starting point is 00:17:09 And I think the chiefs will do that because if you want Patrick Mahomes going out there dropping back 45 times against a team that's set back-to-back franchise records and sacks, absolutely not. You want to feed Kenneth Walker. You want to feed that running back stable, which now includes Emmett Johnson, who was included in a number of mock drafts that we did here for the Broncos. So they've got Eric B. Enemy back as well, Cody. And as maybe, I guess you could debate, you know, the abilities that he has as an offensive coordinator. I think what he brings to the table as a running backs coach and what he can do to elevate the running game is pretty abundantly clear and proven.

Starting point is 00:17:48 Yeah. Even just last year with the Chicago Bears. So definitely feel like their additions there are worth the Broncos investment in saying, hey, like we're going to have to really hone in and focus on this aspect of this matchup. You mentioned a BNami last year was a running back coach for the Chicago Bears. There were the third best rushing offense in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens and behind the Buffalo Bills. They had 2,400 rushing yards last season.

Starting point is 00:18:10 And as a collective unit, the average 4.9 yards per carry on the ground, 19 rushing touchdowns. They were very explosive in that regard. They had 142 different rushing first downs last season. And they had a rushing first down percentage of 28.1%. So, I mean, the enemy got a lot out of that running back room there in Chicago. It fit well with obviously what Ben Johnson was doing. And now he's coming to this role where he's not necessarily going to be the

Starting point is 00:18:37 play caller. But man, I imagine with Kenneth Walker, with Emmett Johnson, with some of the other backs that could probably look to compete because they'll probably carry three as well. That'll probably be the emphasis for them to try to win this game is we need to run the ball down Denver's throat. Denver on the opposite side, their counter needs to be. We need to shut down the run.

Starting point is 00:18:55 I mean, in this situation, this is weird, okay? And don't get me wrong. Is this almost a situation where you want to shut down the run where it's like, we want Patrick Mahomes to drop back and throw the football? What world would we ever be saying that? this is Denver defense. I'm saying, you know what? I like it because we saw the Broncos take advantage last year specifically in that last game before the by week. I'm glad you said it, Cody, because ultimately, like, there's no disrespect whatsoever. Broncos fans of all fan bases would never

Starting point is 00:19:23 stoop to the level of like disrespecting Patrick Mahomes. We've seen firsthand the greatness that he brings to the table many times, many occasions, late in games, you know, putting up the big numbers, all of that. So there's no absolutely no disrespect. But yes, I think over the past couple of years, what we've seen is that the more pressure you put on Mahomes, the more you force him to say, hey, like, you have to go out there and win this game by yourself, man. Like, even your receivers are going to let you down. Like that's the, you have to go win this game on your own. And even then it comes down to one possession games. And so like, yes, that is, I think, the formula. And Patrick has shown a willingness to throw the ball into harm's way, like had a pick six

Starting point is 00:20:05 called back on a bogus penalty last year. So he threw another one to Jaquan Macmillan in a ball don't lie situation, right? So he's willing to put the ball in harm's way. He's a gunslinger. And yes, he's a playmaker, but this is a situation where you don't want the chiefs to have balance on offense. You don't want them to get into short, down, and distance situations. You want them in long down and distance.

Starting point is 00:20:28 You want the pressure on Mahomes. And I think that's the same from their side of things. Like they're going to say we don't want J.K. Dobbins running all over us because that's going to make, you know, the Broncos, they excel in running play action. So look, look, yes, there's every reason to want this game to be on Patrick Mahomes because he's coming back from injury. He's thrown quite a few interceptions against Denver in recent years. And you just, you're willing to kind of take the gamble on the devil you know versus the devil you don't. Well, and also, too, coming off the injury, how much is he going to start?

Starting point is 00:21:00 scramble early on or try to like the way he did in that that game right before the by week my holmes scrambled so much on interception to jamaq he scrambled bought some time and then lollipopped it and he and jac made a great pick but i don't know if that's going to be part of his game here early on but then again it's like these are narratives you might be listening to all of this and that we might make a a sound real saying like hopefully that's not the case knock on wood that we're not used as like uh you know patrick mahom's motivation for uh saying that against them. But no, I mean, I just think that it plays the advantage of where Denver's at right now. And there are several other matchups as well that I'm excited to see because we're also going to

Starting point is 00:21:36 get our first look at Jalen Waddle. Will he be drawn the matchup of their first round draft pick at cornerback? Well, you know, we're going to break down some of the matchups we want to see here on Monday Night Football here on today's episode of the show. Rocket Money is the sponsor of today's episode of the show. I was trying to do Rocket Man there, but you know what? If you ever opened your bank account thought, where did all my money go? where you're not alone. Keeping track of subscriptions, spending, and bills, it can get overwhelming fast. And that's where rocket money comes in, helping you take control of your finances all in one place. It tracks your subscriptions in one spot. It also helps you identify subscriptions

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Starting point is 00:22:48 your bills so you can grow your savings. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at RocketMoney.com slash Locked On. That's Rocket Money. dot com slash locked on. We know the Broncos is going to open up the season on Monday night football against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. While those matches between Bonnicks, Patrick Mahomes on paper, that's going to draw the attention. But it's the other matchups, the individual ones that could help decide the outcome of this game, but also give us our first look at several Broncos players.

Starting point is 00:23:16 Thanks once again, Braco's country for tuning in here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in the country. Thanks to all of you. And it's also where you get your team. every day. Sarah, let's go through this. We've talked about Bo versus Patrick. We've talked about Denver's defense against Kenneth Walker. Certainly throughout this game on paper, there are a couple of other matchups that we're excited to see here. Let's start off with you. What is one that you're most looking forward to seeing here early on as the Broncos kick off their season against the

Starting point is 00:23:45 Chiefs? I'm looking forward to seeing how the Broncos defend Travis Kelsey as he's come back for, I suppose you could call it a bit of a surprise, you know, last season with Kansas I think a lot of folks were reading the tea leaves, believing that last year could be it. And then, you know, it sounds like Kelsey was like, no, I'm not going out on that low of a note. Like with Mahomes being injured and he could still play. So I think him coming back, he's still a good player. Like he may not have the same level of speed and explosiveness that he once did, but he's still a really savvy veteran. Obviously, the Broncos are going to have to hone in on him as Patrick Mahomes' favorite target.

Starting point is 00:24:22 He's going to be that as long as he's wearing number 87. for the Chiefs. So I think, you know, how you defend him, it starts with the whole discussion we've had this offseason about Jaday Barron and the Broncos deployment of him as a first round pick who kind of has no clarity of his role. It might turn out to be that, shoot, even without that clarity, he might play one of the biggest roles in week one of the season going up against the Chiefs and Travis Kelsey. So it's kind of funny how that works, isn't it? And so I think, hey, that's one of those things that I'm looking forward to seeing how you defend Travis Kelsey as we've been talking about the Chief's weapons. I think the Broncos did a great job of that in that Denver matchup last

Starting point is 00:25:05 year that they won that game. So I think that's going to be something worth watching, but I know that that's not the only one where we're focusing in on their offensive weapons coming back. Well, I'll say this, you know, as a newly married man in the last year, there's something about marriage that rejuvenates you a little bit. I imagine Travis who's getting married, I think, in the month of June. I'm not keeping up with like the whole TMZ stuff on that. But getting married does something to a man. It gives you a new sense of energy. And I'm sure when you got married, you also had that little burst and a kick in your step there. So we'll see what that does here, especially because this could for Travis Kelsey really be the last ride for him. That is where things

Starting point is 00:25:45 are kind of setting up, even though what his contract was a three-year deal. Essentially, it's a one-year deal. But it's phased and voiced in as a three-year deal. For me, Sarah, I'm excited to see the debut of Jalen Waddle. The Broncos blockbuster offseason edition at wide receiver. And part of me is wondering, is he going to be facing off against Monsour Delane, the first round draft pick cornerback out of LSU. Obviously, the chiefs, they loaded up with their first two first round picks defensively to try to counteract some of the moves that have happened, not only in AFC West, but even in the AFC in general, well, Denver's got a lot of wide receivers.

Starting point is 00:26:19 And so obviously the cornerback out of LSU, that might be a welcome to the NFL rookie moment. if he has to draw an assignment against Jalen Waddle, I'm curious to see what Steve Spagnola will do here. Yeah, because ultimately that entire Kansas City Chiefs secondary has been remade. Like it's all different personnel. So you're dealing with a on their side of things. The Broncos adding Jailin Waddle to the mix. And they already had a number of playmakers on that side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:26:48 And now you don't have secondary members who are communicating this defense as, you know, it's not going to be like they're going to hit the ground. running in mid-season form in terms of communicating the coverage calls with Nick Bolton's going to have a huge responsibility in this game, Cody, to make sure that everybody's all lined up properly because you have rookies out there, you have, you know, short-term free agent pickups out there, guys who are kind of just filling in the gaps while Kansas City rebuilds and reloads in that unit. And yes, the pressure will be on Monsour Delane to prove why the chiefs not only took him in the first round, not only made him the first of their two first round picks, but

Starting point is 00:27:25 traded up to get him at six overall. That's a huge pressure for him as well as it is huge pressure for Jalen Waddle. I'm also looking forward to obviously seeing Pat Sartan and how he matches up in this game, Cody, going up against whoever it is between Rishi Rice, Xavier Worthy. That's always fascinating, how the Broncos utilize Pat Sertan. And I think Rish Rice is going to be the guy that he probably follows around most of this game, we haven't seen a ton of Rishi Rice. I mean, as far as a matchups against Denver that I can recall in my mind, I can't, like I don't remember the last time we saw him. I'm sure it's been

Starting point is 00:28:04 more recently than my brain is allowing me to think right now, but it just doesn't feel like it's been the, oh my gosh, like Rishie Rice this week. He's the guy that you're circling on every single play. I know he's missed time for injuries. He's missed time for suspension, things like that or whatever. But yeah, that's that one right there. When he's healthy and when he's right, man, he is a absolute monster after the catch. So Pat Sertan's going to have a big responsibility there. I'll even throw Tyquan Thornton into the mix as well. He made some big plays for the chiefs, obviously against Denver in that first matchup that they initially had. For me, I just think that Kansas City, their challenge has always been trying to figure, okay, do they have a

Starting point is 00:28:44 deficiency at running back? You know, maybe they got one wide receiver, but they have questionable guys at wide receiver two wide receiver three i think that they're probably a little more balanced out in terms of the talent there now that rishi rice has no legal things pending against him i'm sure that like that's not going to impact him in terms of his availability for week one we obviously knew that early on here in the off season so they're coming into things relatively healthy Travis kelsey rejuvenated patrick home's needing to have as much around him as possible to kind of help take the pressure off of him. I still like the Broncos advantage in this. I can't wait to see Nick Benito going up against Josh Simmons. I can't wait to see how they try to attack this offensive

Starting point is 00:29:25 line, how they try to stop the run here against Kenneth Walker. But more importantly, they stuff the run against Kenneth Walker. It's all going to be about putting the ball in Mahomes' hands early on as he's coming back from this injury to me, I like Denver's advantage here on paper. Whether this is in Denver, whether this is in Kansas City, I think that this bodes well for the Broncos to open up the season. And look, it's early on to in terms of setting the tone of saying, you know, well, we want to go one O to start the season, but we also get a divisional win over Kansas City, for that matter, which factors into the tiebreaker. Because think about it this way, too. There might be a stretch where, let's say Kansas City, they kind of hit their stride a little bit

Starting point is 00:30:01 because Mahomes gets a little more comfortable as the season goes on. You want to have that tiebreaker there because I imagine Debra will start the season with Kansas City, and I imagine towards the end of the year, they'll play them again. So that is going to be early. there's going to be an early emphasis on importance on winning this matchup here, Monday night football. The full schedule reveal is going to come out on Thursday. Sarah and myself, we're going to have you covered every step of the way, breaking things down here, Broncos country. We appreciate you so much for rocking with us. We will see you tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos, Bo Nix to TAKE ON Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 on Monday Night Football

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