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Bill Belichick Makes Bold Claim About Broncos ‘Gaining’ on Chiefs

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Bill Belichick Makes Bold Claim About Broncos ‘Gaining’ on Chiefs


The Denver Broncos are facing back-to-back away games that will go a long way toward proving how genuine this team is as a playoff threat. Facing the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in rapid succession might finally pique the interest of the national media, especially if the Broncos emerge victorious.

The Broncos and Ravens will battle on Sunday and both sit at 5-3. Broncos Country can thank Vance Joseph’s defense for serving as the tip of the spear, as the team has won five of its last six games, while, across the AFC West, the Chiefs remain undefeated.

The national media might be sleeping on the Broncos defense as the elite difference-maker that it is, but not coaching legend Bill Belichick. The former six-time World Champion head coach broke down the Broncos’ defensive strengths this week and commented about how they’re “gaining on Kansas City,” which raised some eyebrows around the league.

“Denver does a real good job defensively. They have good players. They game plan well, and they’re pretty solid all the way across the board. They have a good front, good rushers. They’re good at linebacker. They have some good players in the secondary, now that [Patrick] Surtain’s back, and they’re doing a good job on offense of just playing good, smart football, not turning the ball over. We’ll see how they do against Lamar [Jackson] because they can hang in there in the running game with guys like [Zach] Allen and, you know, got some guys upfront that are pretty, pretty formidable. So. Denver looks like they’re starting to—I don’t say they’ve caught Kansas City—but I think they’re gaining on Kansas City a little bit. They’re tracking well,” Belichick said on the Football Forecast.

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This is very interesting. The Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time in the Bo Nix era next week. And the Broncos can’t afford to look past the Ravens, obviously.

Standing up to Baltimore’s generational power runner Derrick Henry presents the Broncos’ defensive line with a clear and present danger this Sunday. Belichick feels that Zach Allen can hold the unit together and butt heads with Henry, but it’s going to take the full rotation upfront if the Broncos are going to last 60 minutes in brutal close combat.

Furthermore, under the command of Nix, the Broncos offense will have to play mistake-free football, especially if this ambitious team is going to make a statement in Baltimore. In case you missed it, Nix sounds like he’s hell-bent on pushing the offensive envelope moving forward. 

“Well, it goes without saying,” Nix said earlier in the week. “You can’t turn the ball over. At the same time—like we talked about this week—you can’t sit on the ball and take a knee every play. Sometimes you are going to put the ball in play and sometimes they make a good play. They make a good play in the air [or] they punch it out… We know it’s important. We have to eliminate [turnovers] and continue to win the turnover margin. When we do that, we’re successful. We just have to find ways to continue to do it. It has to be most important.”

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Nix was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for October on Thursday, not only because he is protecting the ball, but he’s now putting it in the end zone with regularity. How quickly Sean Payton has put Nix into such a productive position offers proof of his unique acumen of developing quarterbacks at the elite level.

Belichick has gone public with his firm belief that this Broncos team is incrementally closing the gap on the reigning Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. That’s a nice little boost for Broncos Country, but when you tune into how Payton checks off every detail before hitting the road, you begin to understand why Belichick is drawing that expert conclusion.

“We’ve talked about playing well at home, but ultimately, to get to where you want to go, the better teams are able to travel and have success as well,” Payton said this week. “We’ll go out [to Baltimore] Friday, later on. There’s an hour time change on Sunday where the clocks- we fall back. Again, it’s [about] preparation, recovery and rest. That process has already begun.” 

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Kansas State Fans Unload On Jerome Tang After Wichita State Loss

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Kansas State Fans Unload On Jerome Tang After Wichita State Loss


Kansas State’s meltdown loss to the Stockers can be attributed to many on the team.

But it was coach Jerome Tang who was the center of the criticism Saturday night. This is the second time in the last three games where the Wildcats were outdone dramatically in the second half.

Kansas State stars Coleman Hawkins and David N’Guessan combined for just 15 points on 35 percent shooting. Meanwhile, David Castillo went 0 of 7 from 3-point range, contributing to a 28 percent shooting performance from the arc.

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On the other end, Wichita State’s Xavier Bell and Corey Washington combined for 42 points. The Shockers collectively got to the paint and free-throw line very often Saturday.

“I saw this live,” one user said. “Competitive for 30 minutes, the Cats freaked out being down by 4 and couldn’t stop chucking threes and play horrible defense. Tang tries but this squad has no heart and grit. Soft. Fragile.”

Kansas State starts facing conference opponents next week, with their first Big 12 matchup against Cincinnati (9-1) Monday night. But honestly, most fans are ready to throw in the towel on the season already.

“I love this college with my whole heart,” another fan said. “Will always support the University but this is one of the worst starts to a season I have ever seen. This is not the standard we have built and something needs to change. The program should be embarrassed because the fans sure are.”

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Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.





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Chiefs Suffer Several Big Injuries Before Steelers Game

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Chiefs Suffer Several Big Injuries Before Steelers Game


The Pittsburgh Steelers have been pummeled with injuries over recent weeks. They aren’t alone in that predicament, however, as their Christmas Day opponent in the Kansas City Chiefs are currently dealing with their fair share of bumps and bruises.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf), wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle), offensive tackle Jawann Taylor (knee) and linebacker Jack Cochrane (ankle) all went down in Kansas City’s win over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon, casting doubt on their collective statuses for Wednesday’s meeting with Pittsburgh in a short week.

Jones, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite defensive talents for the better part of a decade, sustained his injury in the fourth quarter. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid described it as a strain, and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go against the Steelers.

The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has recorded five sacks on the season to go with 30 total tackles, nine of which have gone for losses, and a forced fumble.

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Worthy, who was selected with the No. 28 pick of the first round in the 2024 draft, posted a career-high six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown versus Houston. He departed with his injury in the second quarter before returning after halftime and remaining available from that point forward, meaning he’s likely good to go against the Steelers.

Reid also described Taylor’s injury as a strain after he was pulled in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest. The 27-year-old has held a spot on the Chiefs’ injury report since Week 13 with a knee issue, though he’s yet to miss a game both this season and throughout his entire six-year career.

Taylor occupies the right tackle spot and has made 15 starts this campaign. Kansas City’s depth has already been tested after left tackle D.J. Humphries was inactive versus Houston with a hamstring injury, leaving Wanya Morris and second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia as the team’s most likely options at the two spots if the former pair of players can’t work their way back onto the field in the coming days.

Cochrane fractured his ankle, per Reid, which may very well end his year. The special teams ace logged a total of 306 snaps, mustering five tackles over that stretch.

The Chiefs are now 14-1 and have a magic number of one to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning another win or a single Buffalo Bills loss would do the job.

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Thus, Kansas City could adopt a safe approach by resting some of its guys and opting not to risk worsening the health of its players with such little down time before taking on the Steelers.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has seen its hold on the AFC North slip out of its hands following a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday that has both teams sitting with a 10-5 record.

Though the Steelers have clinched a postseason berth, they are currently on a two-game losing streak and would ideally avoid slipping any further.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hip) both suffered injuries against Baltimore while cornerback Donte Jackson (back), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), quarterback Justin Fields (abdominal), safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) all didn’t make an appearance with pre-existing wounds.

Pittsburgh needs to get off the schneid quickly, and the hope is that it can return several key pieces whom are currently on the mend for its bout with the reigning Super Bowl champions from KC.

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Kansas State Has Another Second-Half Collapse In Loss To Wichita State

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Kansas State Has Another Second-Half Collapse In Loss To Wichita State


The Kansas State Wildcats looked like a strong basketball team for one half.

And then the second half happened.

The Wildcats were outscored by 23 in the final 20 minutes in an 84-65 loss to Wichita State Saturday night on the road.

“They were better than us, especially in the second half,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “I thought their staff did a great job of putting a game plan together of how they wanted to attack us.”

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It was the second time the Wildcats had a second-half collapse. The same thing happened in a blowout loss at St. John’s earlier this month.

“The other coaches did a better job of making adjustments than our staff did,” Tang said.

Xavier Bell led the Shockers with a season-high 24 points. Macaleab Rich led the Wildcats with 20 points.

WILDCATS SIGN RECEIVER

Kansas State is making moves within the transfer portal. Their most recent acquisition former Boston College wide receiver Jerand Bradley.

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Bradley had just six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Eagles. However, he compiled 92 receptions for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns with Texas Tech, illustrating his ability to produce. He will have many opportunities to replicate this in Manhattan, with the Wildcats reeling after losing their top two receivers.

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS HAVE NEW UNIFORMS FOR RATE BOWL AGAINST RUTGERS

As Kansas State gears up for the Rutgers Scarlet Knight, storylines have been flying around regarding the transfer portal, new recruits, and possible breakout performances.

But a more light-hearted note was the Wildcats getting to unveil their new uniforms in the Rate Bowl.

Wildcats veteran Taylor Poitier said it was “really cool” to be able to suit up in these newer designs.

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“We rarely get to wear those types of uniform combos, so I’m really excited to wear them,” Poitier said. “They’ll look pretty cool out there.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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X: @KStateOnSI



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