***SWAMPY CLAUS XMAS GAME 2 - DEN @ KC***
***DENVER BRONCOS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS***
Man oh man another big AFC rivalry game will lead us into Christmas night when the Denver Broncos ride into Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in what looks like it will be a wet one. The last time these two met up in week 12 on SNF, KC edged out Denver in Overtime on the road in what was the usual close, hard fought back and forth battle between the two. The Broncos are 8-6 and on the edge of being eliminated from playoff contention but still have a chance to stay alive and sneak in the backdoor with wins in their last two games. However they are coming off of two big losses and seem to be in a free fall as word got out that after last week's home loss against the Patriots that there was a bit of a rift in the locker room between the offense and defense that Head Coach Gary Kubiak had to help break up. The defense is obviously frustrated with the offensive struggles as they clearly feel like they are not holding up their end of the bargain. The absence of a running game for Denver since starting RB CJ Anderson got injured has really increased the struggles of young QB Trevor Siemian and hindered his production. He has been inconsistent all season but has shown flashes of being able to perform well under pressure and played like a worthy NFL QB but has then gone ahead and done the opposite in the very next outing and opposing defenses have now learned how to frustrate him and use it to their advantage, obviously. I actually believe that Siemien is like a young Alex Smith. They are both game manager type QBs and remind me of each other, and tonight I think the veteran Smith shows the youngster a thing or two. I like a repeat of the previous match to take place and fully expect another hard fought match here that will go to the wire. I am pressed for time so I will just leave it at the fact that the Chiefs are very tough at home and rarely lose twice in a row. Coming off a loss against the Titans last week they should bounce back here against a rival that they know they can beat. I am sure they smell blood and after Oakland QB Derek Carr went down with an injury yesterday I am sure they are licking their chops since they still have a chance to steal the Division outright by winning out and Oakland going down next week in Denver. I think the Chiefs found a new flow to their offense with the addition of WR Tyreke HIll and I like what they got going on. I like that place to be rocking on Christmas night and the Chefs to cook up a big win. CHIEFS-3.5
