Chiefs rival could have set themselves up to fail (and no one is talking about it)

The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West over the last decade, winning nine straight division titles. During that time, they mostly have run unopposed toward the top of the division, but this past year showed that other teams are slowly attempting to close the gap between them and the Chiefs.

The Chiefs were not the only AFC West squad to make the playoffs in 2024, as both the Broncos and the Chargers qualified for postseason play. Both teams were bounced in the first round but because of those two teams turning things around and making it to the playoffs, some people seem to think the Chiefs are all of a sudden cooked in the division.

While it's true that the Broncos have improved since Sean Payton took over in 2023, there's something about the team that isn't being talked about nearly enough: the state of the Broncos' linebacker room heading into the 2025 season, particularly at inside linebacker.

Both of the Broncos' starting inside linebackers are injury-prone, as Alex Singleton missed all but three games last year, and newcomer Dre Greenlaw is already dealing with a quad injury after joining the team this offseason. Both of those guys can be effective when healthy, but when that’s the qualifier used to describe an NFL player, you know injuries have already made a significant impact.

Broncos LB room could hurt their otherwise stout defense in 2025

Chiefs fans love hearing this because, let's be real, the Broncos' defense does look pretty scary heading into 2025. They led the league in sacks last year, and their secondary should continue to improve. If the linebacker injuries carry into the regular season, that'll be an opportunity for teams to run the ball against the Broncos—and likely do so successfully. The Broncos had one of the best run defenses a season ago, but missing their two starters due to injury could shake that up.

The defense might look scary in Denver, but the linebacker injuries are something that should be discussed more. If even one of those guys goes down, it's a totally different story in Denver with Drew Sanders and/or Justin Strnad having to step in. Sanders didn't start a single game last year, while Strnad started eight but finished the year with an overall PFF grade of 55.5.

Obviously, we're not rooting for injuries, but it's hard not to point out the step down from Greenlaw and Singleton to Sanders and Strnad. It's something that, if it happens, the Chiefs can take advantage of.