Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Sunday, December 5, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Chiefs -6.5
Current Line: Chiefs -9
Opening Total: 47
Current Total: 48.5
Money Line: Chiefs -450 / Broncos +370
The Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) are one of four teams in the NFL without a loss at home, and they will try to stay unbeaten there when they host the Denver Broncos (3-8) on Sunday. The Chiefs (-9) are 5-0 so far at Arrowhead Stadium but were crushed by the Broncos there a year ago 44-13 before returning the favor at Denver in January. Kansas City will be seeking revenge again here following a 49-29 loss in the first meeting with the Broncos this year three weeks ago.
Chiefs head coach Todd Haley did not shake hands with Denver’s Josh McDaniels after the latest defeat because he thought the Broncos rubbed it in. Now Haley can get the last laugh by eliminating the Broncos from the playoff picture and keeping his team in first place in the AFC West with a victory. The win over Kansas City is the only one for Denver in the last seven games.
The Broncos followed up their last victory with losses at San Diego (35-14) and home against St. Louis (36-33) last week. They fell behind the Rams 33-13 in the third quarter before scoring 20 of the last 23 points in the fourth to give themselves a chance. But a failed onside kick attempt gave the ball back to St. Louis to run out the clock after Denver’s last score with 2:35 remaining.
Despite the loss, Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton took over the NFL lead in passing yardage from Philip Rivers with 3,370 yards. Orton has gained a majority of those while playing from behind in the team’s nine losses, as he completed 24 of 41 passes for 347 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions against the Rams. He threw a career-high four touchdowns and finished with 296 yards in the last meeting with the Chiefs.
Orton’s numbers (eight touchdowns and one interception) were still impressive in November, but Kansas City’s Matt Cassel was even better. Cassel threw a league-high 12 touchdowns with only one interception last month after tossing four in a 42-24 rout of Seattle on the road last week. However, he has also gotten plenty of help from the NFL’s top scoring receiver and best running game this season.
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has scored at least one touchdown in seven straight games for the Chiefs, giving him 14 overall this year. Bowe totaled 170 yards on 13 catches against the Seahawks last week while running back Jamaal Charles added 173 rushing yards on 22 carries to go over the 1,000-yard mark.
The OVER has cashed in six of the last seven meetings, and the underdog has covered four of the last five games between the teams. Denver has failed to cover its last three road games, and the Chiefs are 4-1 against the spread at home.
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