Broncos HC Sean Payton wasn’t afraid to admit how extremely hard it is to prep for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Sean Payton and the Broncos showed why their defense is elite against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs ran into the buzz saw of a defense that is the Denver Broncos, and once again, we are talking about KC’s offense being too inconsistent and passive. In a game where the Chiefs needed to win to make a dent in the Broncos’ lead in the AFC West, the offense only scored 19 points.
The Broncos may have the best defense in the league. However, the Chiefs have one of the most brilliant offensive minds ever in head coach Andy Reid, maybe the greatest quarterback of all time, a solid offensive line, and great weapons around the quarterback. So the offense has to be better, especially when you have Patrick Mahomes, a guy who is extremely hard to gameplan for.
Broncos HC Sean Payton was honest about prepping for Mahomes and the Chiefs
“Look, I think changing the looks with respect to [Chiefs QB] Patrick [Mahomes],” Payton told reporters after the game. “Man, he is something. Trying to keep him in the pocket eliminates some of the third-and-20 climbs up, and we give up an interference.
“But rushing him the right way and then playing coverage the right way, it’s tough. Especially when they’re healthy with all their skill players like they were tonight.”
Mahomes is easily the most talented quarterback of all time. He has the resume to be considered the greatest of all time, too. We know that for the last few years, defenses have been selling out to stop Mahomes, especially when it comes to the deep passing game. The Chiefs are seeing a ton of quarters coverage nowadays, which is a defense designed to stop deep passing plays.
Chiefs’ remaining 2025 schedule
- Week 12: vs. Indianapolis Colts – Sunday, Nov. 23 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 13: @ Dallas Cowboys (Thanksgiving) – Thursday, Nov. 27 at 3:30 p.m. CT on NBC
- Week 14: vs. Houston Texans (Sunday Night Football) – Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7:20 p.m. CT on ESPN
- Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Chargers – Sunday, Dec. 14 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 16: @ Tennessee Titans – Sunday, Dec. 21 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos (Christmas Night) – Thursday, Dec. 25 at 7:15 p.m. CT on Prime Video
- Week 18: vs. Las Vegas Raiders – TBD
Payton and his defensive staff, led by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, did a good job of preparing for Mahomes. They limited the number of things he could do and forced him to throw an interception, which changed the game. The Chiefs were in the red zone, and instead of getting seven or even three points, an interception allowed the Broncos to flip it for some points.
Joseph put a ton of pressure on Mahomes inside the pocket, too, making him have to create something out of nothing far more than he would have liked. The Broncos blitzed 14 times in the game. Without blitzing, they had a pressure rate of 21.2%, per Next Gen Stats.
Joseph and the defense caused the Chiefs so many problems. The Chiefs will play a similar defense against the Houston Texans later in the season.
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