How the Broncos held Pat Mahomes to the worst game of his young career and how they can do it again

How do you stop Patrick Mahomes and the dynamic Kansas City Chiefs offense?

That question will largely impact the Denver Broncos and AFC West going forward. From game planning to coaching hires, drafts, and free agency moves, the answer to that question will be in the back of GM’s minds in everything they do.

With that in mind, back in Week 4, the Broncos were absurdly close to beating the Chiefs and laid out a blueprint on how to at least limit KC’s powerful offense. Denver played a close-to-perfect defensive game against KC’s record-breaking aerial attack, but just couldn’t catch a break, as Mahomes made some masterful plays above the Xs and Os.

Previewing their Week 8 matchup, we went back to revisit what worked, what could go differently, and what adjustments to expect from Kansas City this time around.

Note: for more video analysis, play breakdowns, and an in-depth look at the Broncos defensive performance in Week 4, check out this link.

Keeping the pressure on

The Broncos front did a great job hurrying Mahomes and creating pressure in Week 4 racking up 20 QB pressures. The problem is, Denver ultimately only generated one sack for zero yards.

Denver threw in all sorts of defensive looks; rushing three and dropping eight in coverage, blitzing five or more 12 times, mixing in an array of coverages, going from zone to man, and even using a few NASCAR formations.

That constant mix worked well and will have to continue as Denver’s back seven must play fast and in unison. The pass rush especially will be tested and won’t have the benefit of crowd noise on their side.

Despite the 20 pressures, Von Miller left something to be desired as he didn’t take advantage of one-on-one opportunities against right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Bradley Chubb wasn’t great, either, playing below the standard he’s set the last two weeks. 

As much pressure as the Broncos created, blitzes didn’t really work, as Mahomes was 8-of-12 for 121 yards when Denver brought an added rusher. Playing KC straight up and creating pressure with only four is key.

What killed the defense was Mahomes scrambling and completing clutch throws on the run in the fourth quarter, as he went 10-for-15 for 195 yards on throws outside the pocket.

A different rush plan needs to be implemented, containing the young QB in the pocket like Denver did Russell Wilson in Week 1, while still generating the same amount of pressure.

Mahomes showed a bad habit of targeting deep routes, or scrambling and improvising when he could’ve taken his check down. Denver can take advantage of this bad habit, covering deep and making containing Mahomes in the pocket a point of emphasis.

Holding Hill down 

Part of what makes the Chiefs so hard to defend, beyond their talented QB, is their fast, dynamic group of receivers added to the best tight end in the game.

However, in Week 4, the Broncos did a nice job covering everyone straight up and not allowing any deep throws over the top of the defense.

The Chiefs most dangerous weapon this year has been Tyreek Hill, the NFL’s fastest man, who leads the league with seven touchdowns. In Week 4, the Broncos held Hill to 54 yards, and his lowest yards-per-reception average of the year—6.0 yards compared to his 18.1 average in all other games.

Denver’s corners did a great job of not allowing Hill to get free deep and staying in his hip pocket across the field, while Denver’s safeties were extraordinary in not letting No. 10 get past them for any big plays.

Cover-3 seemed to work best for Denver, giving them a single-high safety and corners playing deep coverage down the sideline. Cover-3 also allowed the Broncos to dedicate more defenders in underneath coverage, which took away a lot of the crossing routes that make the speedy Chiefs receivers so dangerous.

A similar plan should work again, though Denver needs to continue mixing coverages and keep Mahomes guessing.

How will KC adjust?

Four weeks into the season, the Broncos’ struggles against the run still hadn’t really surfaced. So while the Chiefs were able to run effectively against Denver—142 yards on only 26 carries— that seemed to be by design, as Denver focused primarily on stopping the pass and played a lot of nickel and dime. The Chiefs will adjust and might lean on Kareem Hunt for more than just 19 carries this time around.

Expect both Hunt and Spencer Ware to be targeted more in the receiving game, too, something the Chiefs have started to do more consistently—RBs have been targeted 24 percent of the time the last two weeks, which is way up from 18 percent the previous five weeks.

KC is deadly in RPO looks, too, something Denver didn’t see much of in Week 4. Mahomes is very good at holding the ball in the RB’s belly until the very end on RPOs, then pulling it back and zipping the ball in the blink of an eye from whacky arm angles.

Andy Reid is sure to use more RPOs in their second meeting, and the Broncos might have a hard time stopping them now that they have to be more aware of opposing running games.

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Part of Denver’s game plan that worked so well last time around, was that the Chiefs faced an inordinate number of third-and-forever type situations. Without the crowd noise against them, that likely won’t happen again, unless of course, the Broncos are able to generate more sacks than they did in their previous meeting.

Mahomes and Reid’s passing attack has yet to be tested the way the Broncos defense did in Week 4, though, this will be an entirely different task now that the Chiefs have watched the tape and have home-field advantage.

Denver knows how to stop the KC better than any team; the real test will be pulling it off in a hostile environment with their season on the line.