Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph knows his team faces quite the test this weekend.
Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs are only 5-4, but they’ve been the standard for a long time in the AFC West and the NFL.
At his press conference on Thursday, Joseph was asked about K.C. QB Patrick Mahomes and said a lot of nice things. Including that he’s the top dog when it comes to quarterbacks.
“He’s been the best for a long time. He’s a winner. The plays he can make off schedule, that makes it tough. Obviously they’re in the huddle, they could have the play called, and you can defend that play perfectly and he can obviously buy time in the second act. That’s where he makes explosive plays,” Joseph said.
Vance Joseph is taking about the ability of Patrick Mahomes to go off script and make a huge play. Football fans have seen that for the better part of a decade, and Denver’s DC is aware his team must be ready for it this weekend.
“Going against Patrick, obviously how you rush him is important, how you cover is important. But the second part is just keep chasing him and just keep plastering the back end. Cause those plays they’ve made over the years, him and (Travis) Kelce especially has been hard on defenses. It’s a true challenge. These new receivers they’ve got, it’s a track team,” Joseph said.
The Broncos didn’t have much good injury news on Thursday, especially with star cornerback Pat Surtain II missing another practice.
Mahomes might be getting older, but he’s still elite. Vance Joseph knows it and so does every fan in Denver. If the Broncos are going to get to 9-2 and take control of the division, it starts with containing the future Chiefs Hall of Famer.
That’s a tall task, but one that the Broncos need to be up for if this winning streak is going to reach eight games.