The Kansas City Chiefs became the 30th team in the Super Bowl era to start 8-0 last week. However, Cam Newton doesn’t see them becoming the 21st franchise to reach 9-0 since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
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On Thursday’s episode of his 4th & 1 podcast, the former Panthers QB picked the Denver Broncos to upset the Kansas City on the road in Week 10. When asked to explain his selection, Newton expressed confidence in the Chiefs losing at some point this year. He believes an AFC West rival represents the most likely slip-up.
“I don’t think that Kansas City is going to go undefeated. Somebody’s gonna beat them. And I just expect that somebody to be a divisional foe.”
The Denver (5-4) currently holds the AFC’s final wild-card spot. A win here – plus an Indianapolis Colts loss – would give them a two-game advantage on the rest of the conference for an eventual playoff bid. However, a loss would move them to .500 and could put several teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals, one game away from overtaking them.
“Trap game” supports Newton’s Broncos’ choice
The Broncos are 7.5-point underdogs to Kansas City but could be playing the Chiefs at the right time. The reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions have a massive showdown with the Buffalo Bills (7-2) on the horizon. If Kansas City beat Buffalo, they all but lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed, which grants them a playoff bye and home-field advantage in the postseason. This week serves as a quintessential “trap game” for them.
The NFL trends also back Newton’s assertion. On today’s episode of First Things First, FOX Sports analyst Kevin Wildes showed division underdogs of seven-plus points have excelled both against the spread (5-0-1) and straight up (4-2) this season. This could bode well for the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys (+7.5), who face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes’ all-time record versus Denver is 12-1. But since Sean Payton took over as head coach, he is 1-1. Kansas City’s offense averaged a paltry 14 points per game against the Broncos’ stingy defense a season ago. This year, Denver’s defense has allowed just 17.9 points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL. They’ve yielded more than 20 points in only three of nine contests.
So, if Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix can find a way to move the ball versus the Chiefs’ top-end defense, they may be able to make Newton’s prediction come true. The kickoff for the AFC West matchup is at 1:00 p.m. E.T. on CBS.
