The Denver Broncos have a chance to take the top spot in the division if they can beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks opened the door by beating the Chiefs last week.

The Broncos would also benefit from the schedule, since the Chiefs already had their bye week and still have most of their toughest opponents left on the docket. The Broncos' bye comes in Week 10, so a win on Sunday would put them at 6-2 and the Chiefs at 5-2. 

After that Week 1 debacle, the Broncos won't be overlooking the Chiefs, as they may have in the season opener. The Broncos have to focus on winning some key matchups that deal more with their own issues than with what the Chiefs are doing.

With that said, let’s get into the two key matchups of Week 8. 

Bo Nix vs. Himself

Last week, Nix vs. himself was also a key matchup, but for a different reason. Going into Arizona, it was about him regaining his confidence, which he did with a 62-yard touchdown run, a 52-yard screen-pass touchdown, and several other explosive plays.

This week, it's about finding the consistency and balance Nix hasn’t shown this season. 

He still has issues with his ball placement and pocket presence, and they may never fully resolve this season. In fact, it may be part of who Nix is, which isn't exactly the picture of consistency and balance.

That's where Bo's aggressiveness comes into play. He must spread the ball around better than he has, take what the defense gives him, and take calculated risks. This isn’t to say he should go out there and be a gunslinger, but when he sees the opening deep, he should take the shot, like he did last week. 

Denver can’t have Nix fall back into the shell he was in for Weeks 4-6, though Week 6 was as much due to the Seahawks' defense as it was his mental state when it came to pushing the ball. The Chiefs rank 21st in explosive pass-play rate allowed and 28th in the last four games, so Nix has no excuse if he crawls back into his shell.

Bo needs to find consistency in being aggressive, both as a runner and as a passer, as well as start carrying one strong game into another, though it could still look very different in the box score. His balance has to come from spreading the ball around more and not favoring one or two receivers, which he did improve on against the Cardinals, while still hunting for explosives without being careless and taking what the defense gives him. 

Tackling/Run Defense vs. Kenneth Walker

This was an easy one. No player-on-player matchup is more important than the Broncos' collective tackling of Walker.

In Week 1, Denver's missed-tackle rate was 29.8%, up 25% from its historically bad 70-point game against the Miami Dolphins in 2023. Most Broncos fans didn't think defense could ever get worse than that woeful day in Miami.

On top of that, the Broncos allowed 247 yards after missed tackles, with Walker having 108 yards after contact, or 4.7 yards after contact per rush. 

If the Broncos want a chance in this one, they can’t let Walker run all over them. That is stating the obvious, but Denver’s defense has done well in shutting down or limiting Patrick Mahomes, especially at Mile High, so allowing Walker to carry the Chiefs would make it much harder to walk out with the win. 

Denver’s defense has also allowed a high rate of explosive runs, including over the last four games, which is alarming, since those four games don't count Walker's big Week 1 showing. The Broncos have had serious consistency issues stopping the run, and it stems from more than just bad tackling. 

This game is about more than the AFC West standings; Denver's pride is also on the line. It's gut-check time for Vance Joseph's defense.