Intro: I watch every NFL game live, then watch it again on tape for scouting Fantasy/DFS and future betting (player props) purposes. And like a restaurant or movie ‘critic’, I’m here to report my critiques of this nationally televised game -- pro and con.
Let’s take a look at what I witnessed, the good and the bad, in the Broncos-Chiefs game on Thursday night.
WORST: No Million Dollar Prize
Always a worst when you don’t win the top prize.
It’s been two straight TNFs without winning for the Contrarian Edge Optimizer, after winning a share of top prize in back-to-back weeks. It felt like it was getting easy, so now it’s frustrating when we aren’t treating DraftKings like a personal ATM machine weekly.
But the Optimizer will be back at DFS prize fighting all day Sunday and then for MNF. The million-dollar first-prize chase never sleeps!
BEST: Buckle Up for the fireworks!
I was so excited to watch this game for the Fantasy impact. I have plenty of shares in Isiah Pacheco, Patrick Mahomes andTravis Kelce in every Fantasy format there is – Redraft, Dynasty, Best Ball. I got my parmesan garlic flavored popcorn and a tall Sprite Zero and settled in to watch a ton of KC offense ... and a ton of Travis Kelce commercials!
WORST: Where Were the Fireworks?
13-0 at the half? 19-8 final? Harrison Butker was nearly the top scoring Fantasy ‘thing’ in the game (that I have almost no FF shares in).
- WR Re-Rank: Some Guys Are Moving Way Up (sportstopia.io)
- RB Rankings: This Is the Jacobs We Know (sportstopia.io)
- QB Rankings: Can C.J. Prove Them Wrong? (sportstopia.io)
- TE Re-Rank: Check Out Who's Moved (sportstopia.io)
- Saints Will Slow Down This Rookie (sportstopia.io)
- Best and Worst of Broncos at Chiefs (sportstopia.io)
- Open Your Eyes to Our 'Close Your Eyes Special' (sportstopia.io)
BEST: Chiefs Defense
Dominant performance by the unit that has been the best for the Chiefs this season. You knew Denver had little chance to convert on any third down. So many times, the third-down plays were halted via a sack or flush of Russell Wilson out of the pocket. KC has held all six opponents this season to 20 or fewer offensive points.
OR THE REAL WORST: Broncos Offense
Some of what made the KC defense look so good was Denver's ineptitude. Wilson looks totally checked out or overthinking. His O-Line is weak, his wide receivers are poor. Sean Payton is supposed to be an offensive guru?
A bonus BEST to Pete Carroll and John Schnieder for dumping Wilson at the perfect time for a heist from Denver, in retrospect.
WORST: Chiefs Offense
The Chiefs have scored 20 or fewer points in half of their games. This passing attack looks out of sync has no weapons when Kelce is not involved. Denver has been getting run over by everyone, but not the Chiefs in this game. not by the Chiefs this game. Mahomes did throw for 300-plus yards, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from watching the game or the tape after -- several red zone failures and blown 3rd-down conversion attempts.
The Chiefs' offense has been a giant letdown. The countdown to the Chiefs trading for a WR by the trade deadline is on.
BEST: Let The Broncos Fire Sale Begin
The Broncos will be selling their two starting WRs in the next few days or weeks -- and possibly one of them to KC since Denver faces the Chiefs one last time this season in Week 8. They could send Courtland Sutton over as a mercenary for the rest of 2023 and not worry about the whole intradivision trade taboo.
- Frank Clark has been cut and likely will wind up on the Chiefs.
- Justin Simmons may be on the move.
- I’ll bet Samaje Perine is back with the Bengals within a few weeks.
WORST: Who Wants Any Broncos Anyway?
The problem with the Broncos' WR fire sale is, they're mediocre. Denver tried trading Jeudy-Sutton in the preseason, but no one cared.
Denver can keep them both and let them go to free agency in 2024 and get third-round compensatory picks. What team would give higher than a third-round pick?
Only a sucker would trade big for Jerry Jeudy and give him a deal extension, so watch out for the Panthers as buyers there.
WORST: Where’s Taylor Swift?
Watching Swift react like she just saw a real-life unicorn appear whenever Kelce catches a simple pass made me wonder – I wish I had someone in my life cheering on me completing basic functions of my job.
My wife doesn’t even read my articles, not a one in decades of work. But Swift looks like parents watching their young child hit a game-winning home run in a youth baseball game whenever Kelce does anything.
We all could use a Taylor Swift in our lives, on so many levels. I don’t have that. The closest I get is I use a Swiftfer to clean my kitchen floor from time-to-time, at my wife’s request (demand). And she’s not cheering me on like a trained seal as I do it.
BEST: Late Field Goal Covers
AT LEAST my bet of KC -10.5 came through with some late luck.
I thought for sure KC would run the clock out and win by eight when they approached their final drive and blow the cover making this game experience even more ‘nothing’ for me. I was praying KC wouldn’t convert their last third-down attempt from field goal range, and thus need to kick the three-pointer to go up by 11 and then hold Denver.
KC didn’t convert, but the cosmic twist was Mahomes got sacked to create a very long field-goal attempt, which Butker nailed.
See you next TNF for Jacksonville at New Orleans!