The Chiefs Are Traditionally Tough at Arrowhead in December

Dating back to ‘95, Kansas City is 21-6 (.778) at home during December, including a perfect 5-0 record vs. Denver. The Chiefs own a stellar 17-1 (.944) home record against the Broncos all-time in the month of December, including a 12-1 mark at Arrowhead. From ‘97-05, the Chiefs enjoyed an 18-game December winning streak at Arrowhead, the longest such home winning streak in the league since the AFL-NFL merger. Dating back to 2006, the Broncos are 1-6 (.143) in December road games, including a streak of five straight losses. Denver’s only win in such a circumstance over that span was a 37-20 win at Arizona (12/17/06).

Cassel Seeks a Repeat Performance of Debut Start vs. Denver
Chiefs QB Matt Cassel registered his initial victory at Arrowhead in his last home start, a 27-24 OT win vs. Pittsburgh (11/22). Cassel has thrown 13 TDs and is on pace to finish the year with 18 TDs. QB Trent Green (27 TDs in 2004) was the last KC signal caller with 20 TDs in a season. Cassel owns a 5-1 record as a starter when he posts a rating of 100.0 or better (min. 20 atts.), including a season-high 100.4 rating against the Steelers. He established a career-high 136.3 rating when he completed 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards with three TDs and no INTs in a 41-7 New England win vs. Denver (10/20/08).

Josh McDaniels to Make His Arrowhead Debut as a Head Coach
Josh McDaniels will make his initial appearance at Arrowhead as an NFL head coach on Sunday. The Chiefs are 26-11 (.703) against head coaches making their regular season debuts at Arrowhead since ‘94. Broncos head coaches are 1-7 in their initial appearances with Denver in KC, with a 1-3 mark at Arrowhead. Red Miller was the only Denver head coach to win his fi rst game in Kansas City, getting a 14-7 victory (11/20/77) en route to SB XII.

Broncos QBs Haven’t Fared Well in Their Initial Arrowhead Starts
Broncos QB Kyle Orton is expected to make his initial start vs. KC. The last four Broncos QBs making their Arrowhead debuts combined to complete 52.1% (61 of 117) of their passes for an average of 165.5 ypg, throwing two TDs and six INTs, numbers that translate into a composite rating of 53.5.

Chiefs-Broncos Scoring Stats
Dating back to ‘95, Kansas City is 56-11 (.836) at Arrowhead when holding opponents to 21 points or less, including a 7-0 mark vs. Denver. Since the start of the ‘90 campaign, the Chiefs are 10-1 (.909) at Arrowhead when holding the Broncos to 21 points or less. The Chiefs have held their opponents to 21 points or less in their last eight victories. Dating back to a 19-10 loss at KC (11/23/06), the Broncos are 2-13 (.133) in their last 15 road contests when being held to 21 points or less, including both of Denver’s road losses this season.

In Denver’s seven wins, the Broncos outscored their opponents by a 159-72 margin, good for an average margin of victory of 12.4 ppg (22.7 to 10.3). Over that span, Denver held six of those seven opponents to 17 points or less. In Denver’s four losses, the Broncos have been outscored by a 177-37 margin, losing by an average margin of 20.0 ppg (29.3 to 9.3). The Broncos have permitted 27 points or more in all four of those contests and have not scored more than 17 points in those losses. The Broncos are 3-0 in games decided by seven points or less in 2009, while the Chiefs are 2-3 in such contests.

Another Strong Finish Will Be Important For Kansas City
In Kansas City’s three wins, the Chiefs have been outscored by a 27-23 margin in the first half, but have rebounded to hold a 57-40 scoring edge in the second half and OT. The Chiefs rank eighth in the league with 77 fourth-quarter points, meaning 42.1% (77 of 183) of KC’s points have come in the final period. The Broncos have scored 60 points and have allowed 60 points in the fourth quarter. In Denver’s four losses, the Broncos have been outscored by a 40-20 margin in the first half, while opponents have outscored Denver by a 77-17 margin in the second half. In Denver’s seven wins, they own a 73-56 first-half scoring edge and an 83-16 point differential in the second half. KC has led at the half in two of its three wins. Denver is 4-1 when leading at the half, but is just 3-3 when trailing at intermission in 2009.

Second-Half Stats, Chiefs-Broncos Common Opponents
Kansas City and Denver are both looking to compile a winning record in the season’s final eight games for the first time since 2005. The Chiefs went 5-3 under Dick Vermeil to finish 10-6 that year, while Denver went 7-1 down the stretch to finish 13-3 and win its most recent AFC West title. KC is currently 2-1 in the second half of the 2009 campaign, while Denver is 1-2.

The Chiefs and Broncos have played eight games against common opponents. KC is 3-5 in those games, while Denver is 4-4. The Chiefs have defeated Pittsburgh and Washington, teams who both defeated Denver. KC split a pair of meetings with Oakland, while the Broncos are 1-0 against the Raiders. Denver split its two meetings with San Diego, while KC was swept by the Chargers. The Broncos have defeated Dallas (10/4) and the N.Y. Giants (11/26), while Kansas City has lost to both of those NFC East opponents.

Kansas City’s Defense Continues to Evolve and Improve
The Chiefs currently rank sixth in the NFL, forcing three and outs on 27.0% of opponents’ drives (37 of 137). After the 11-game mark of the 2008 campaign, KC ranked 30th in the NFL in three and outs, forcing them just 17.2% of the time (22 on 128 drives). The 2008 Chiefs ranked 32nd in the league on third down at the 11-game mark, permitting opponents to convert at a 48.6% clip (70 of 144). KC is currently 17th in the league on third down at 38.1% (59 of 155).

Through 11 games in 2008, the Chiefs were allowing 165.9 rushing ypg and had allowed 19 rushing TDs. In 2009, KC has decreased that rushing average by 31.4 ypg and has permitted eight fewer rushing TDs. The Chiefs were 30th in the NFL after 11 games in 2008, permitting 232 first downs. KC is tied for 21st in that department, allowing 214 in 2009. Here is a look…

Chiefs-Broncos Rushing Stats at Arrowhead
The Chiefs have won five of their last six meetings with the Broncos at Arrowhead and have typically controlled the ground game in those contests, outgaining the Broncos by a 42.8-yard margin over that six-game span. Kansas City has accumulated over 200 team rushing yards in the club’s last two home wins vs. Denver, outgaining the Broncos on the ground by a 436-132 yard margin in those games, a whopping difference of 152.0 rushing ypg. In Denver’s most recent victory at Arrowhead, the Broncos outgained Kansas City by a 141- 67 margin in the ground game (11/11/07).

RB Jamaal Charles has 254 rushing yards (84.7 ypg) in his last three starts. He is also KC’s second-leading receiver with 23 catches. He also returned a kickoff for a 97-yard TD vs. Pittsburgh (11/22). He registered a career-high 147 yards from scrimmage at SD (11/29). Denver has outgained its opponents by a 57.0-yard margin (133.4 to 76.4) in its seven wins, but has been outgained on the ground by a 86.8-yard margin (168.8 to 82.0) in its four losses.

The Turnover Table Always Figures into the Equation vs. Denver
The Chiefs were +3 (4 takes/1 give) and registered 10 points off takeaways in a 33-19 win vs. Denver (9/28/08). The Chiefs would like a repeat of that performance. KC is a combined +3 (7 takes/4 gives) in its three victories this season and has been +2 in the turnover column in three contests. The Chiefs had allowed just 23 points off gives before permitting 28 points off gives at SD (11/29). KC and DEN are tied for sixth in the NFL with 15 giveaways in 2009.

Dating back to ‘95, KC is 34-4 (.895) when forcing two or more INTs at Arrowhead. KC was +2 in a 27-24 OT win vs. Pittsburgh (11/22) that featured two INTs by LB Andy Studebaker. After forcing three INTs in the season’s first eight games, KC’s defense has four INTs in the club’s last three games.

In Denver’s seven wins, the Broncos are +9 (15 takes/6 gives) in the turnover column, throwing just two INTs. In Denver’s four losses, the Broncos are -7 (2 takes/9 gives) with five INTs in those contests. Denver is 16-7 (.696) on the road with an even or positive turnover margin dating back to 2005. Over that same span, Denver is 2-11 (.154) on the road with a negative turnover mark, including a string of 10 consecutive losses.

WR Chris Chambers Provides Big Plays in the Passing Game
Since joining KC on November 3rd, WR Chris Chambers has accounted for five catches of 20+ yards and three TDs. The Chiefs have 13 passing plays of 20+ yards in their last four games after accumulating 14 passes of 20+ yards in the club’s seven games prior to acquiring Chambers, who owns 18 career 100- yard games, including a 119-yard effort vs. Pittsburgh (11/22). Chambers has yet to register a 100-yard game vs. Denver, owning 26 catches for 359 yards and four TDs in eight previous appearances against the Broncos. Denver WR Brandon Marshall owns 34 catches for 368 yards with five TDs in four career starts against the Chiefs, including an 11-catch, two-TD performance at Denver (12/7/08) and a 10-catch, 115-yard, two-TD outing at Denver (12/9/07).

Final Chiefs-Broncos Statistical Salvos
The Chiefs have registered at least one home victory vs. an AFC West opponent every year dating back to ‘78 … No team has converted more fourth downs than Kansas City (12). Only Green Bay (14.3% - 1 of 7) owns a lower conversion rate on fourth down than Denver (27.3% - 3 of 11).