The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to take full control of the AFC West last week, but they dropped the ball down The Black Hole.
They can maintain their standing at the top of the division mountain, though, with a victory against the host Denver Broncos on Sunday in the 100th regular season meeting between the teams.
The Chiefs (5-3) have played two consecutive overtime games. After defeating the Buffalo Bills 13-10 at home in Week 8, they lost to the Oakland Raiders 23-20 last week after losing leads of 10-0, 13-7 and 20-17.
They could have distanced themselves a bit from their AFC West rivals, but a win Sunday will give them a one-game advantage on the Raiders and a two-game bulge on the Chargers, who are both off this week.
The game will feature three former high-profile assistant coaches with the New England Patriots. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel all coached under Bill Belichick.
Also, McDaniels was partly responsible for the development of Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel while serving as Tom Brady’s backup in New England.
Cassel has 12 touchdowns, including seven to Dwayne Bowe, and four interceptions this season. Bowe has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games.
The Broncos (2-6), who were off last week, have lost 14 of their last 18 games after starting 6-0 in 2009. They are last in the NFL in rushing at 67.2 yards per game and second to last in stopping the run (154.6 yards per game). They have allowed 208.3 yards per game in their last four.
The Chiefs, who have lost three straight on the road, have the top rushing offense in the NFL at 179.6 yards per game, but were held to 104 yards by the Raiders.
Jamaal Charles, sixth in the NFL with 719 yards, is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, tops among running backs with at least 25 carries. Also, Thomas Jones has 570 yards as arguably the best backup in the NFL.
Denver also has to figure out a way to protect quarterback Kyle Orton. He has been sacked 21 times and hit more than five times per game. Orton finished the Broncos’ 24-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in London on Oct. 31 with a sore throwing shoulder.
The Chiefs have 19 sacks this season, 12th in the league.
Orton’s arm might also hurt because he has attempted 39.5 passes per game, fourth in the NFL. He is second in yards per game with 313.8. The Chiefs are 21st against the pass (232.9).
The Broncos’ Brandon Lloyd leads the NFL with 878 yards, including a league-leading 17 catches of more than 20 yards, and Jabar Gaffney is tied for ninth with 45 catches.
Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno has been plagued by hamstring injuries since preseason, but appears healthy now.
Denver linebacker D.J. Williams was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Friday morning. He will not start Sunday. The Broncos also stripped him of his captaincy.
Denver linebacker Robert Ayers will miss his fourth game with a broken foot while Andre Goodman is also out with a quadriceps injury.
The Chiefs won the last meeting in Week 17 last season 44-24 to snap an eight-game losing streak at Denver as Charles rushed for a club-record 259 yards.
Kansas City leads the all-time series 54-45.