Mahomes and Nix face off as AFC West rivals battle injury hangovers

The race for the AFC West lead comes down to two quarterbacks trying to find their footing again after major injuries. Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix will face each other Sunday in Denver, both seeking to regain the form that defined their careers before recent setbacks.

Mahomes has not thrown a touchdown pass in consecutive games for the first time in his career. His rushing average has dropped to 3.7 yards per attempt, the lowest since he became the Chiefs starter in 2018. Nix is struggling with deep throws and short completions, holding a 59.2% completion rate, the lowest of his three-year professional career.

Despite these individual struggles, both teams hold strong records. The Chiefs are 5-1 after losing to the Seattle Seahawks last weekend. The Broncos are 5-2 and have recovered from a 31-10 loss at Kansas City during the season opener.

The Chiefs are leaning on Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, who is averaging 117 rushing yards per game. Tight end Travis Kelce is also performing at a high level, averaging 14.3 yards per catch, the best mark of his 14-year career. Coach Sean Payton noted that Kelce remains sudden out of the break point and can feel both zone and man coverage.

The Broncos are relying on their defense to compensate for Nix's passing difficulties. The unit is led by Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto and has performed well even with key players like Patrick Surtain II, Talanoa Hufanga, and Riley Moss dealing with injuries. This defensive strength has helped the team win its most decisive game yet last week against Arizona.

Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said the Broncos are rolling after finding what works for them. He noted that Nix has done a good job using his feet and sticking with the run game, a tactic the Broncos did not utilize effectively in their first meeting of the season.

The game is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST on CBS. The Chiefs are favored by 1.5 points. Kansas City is 3-3 against the spread this season, while Denver is 5-2. The Chiefs beat the Broncos 31-10 on Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium.

A key matchup involves Walker III against the Denver defense. In their previous meeting, the Broncos missed 28 tackles, allowing Walker 247 yards after contact. That performance gave Walker 173 total yards on the ground, including a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.

Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award after recording 19 stops against the Cardinals. Denver has recorded multiple sacks in 20 consecutive home games, the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. Payton will coach in his 300th NFL game Sunday.

Kelce surpassed Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez last week for the most receiving yards by a tight end, including playoffs, with 15,143 total yards.