Broncos-Chiefs matchup of the day

[Denver Native (Carol)]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas took a short flip from quarterback Peyton Manning 74 yards up the right sideline for Denver’s first touchdown last Sunday in San Diego, it showcased virtually every angle of the dilemma facing opposing defensive coordinators these days when they look at Thomas.

The Chargers lost Thomas in the pass route when rookie linebacker Manti Te'o bit too hard on the play-action just before Manning tossed the ball. And once Thomas had the ball he ran past defenders who initially had the angle on him and overpowered Chargers cornerback Derek Cox on the way to the end zone.

So while the Broncos’ top three wide receivers -- Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker -- figure to get plenty of attention, the Chiefs have already shown when it comes to a tight end they believe has an impact in the passing game, they’re going to ask safety Eric Berry to defend him. For the season, opposing tight ends have just 26 receptions in nine games. Just one, Cleveland’s Jordan Cameron, has accumulated more than 43 yards receiving. Cameron finished with 81 yards on four catches in the Chiefs’ Oct. 27 win over the Browns.

And no tight end has scored a touchdown against the Chiefs this season.

rest - http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest

[Joel]

Eric Berry doesn't scare me much unless Mannings throws are rushed, but if that's how it goes down I expect a lot of this:
Against Witten, the video shows the Chiefs funneling help in coverage to him and letting their cornerbacks fend for themselves in single coverage on the outside receivers. It’s at least part of the reason they held Witten to such low output, but Dez Bryant (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13215/dez-bryant) finished with 141 yards and a touchdown. And when the Chiefs kept Jordan out of the end zone in the win over the Browns, Josh Gordon (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15705/josh-gordon) finished with 132 yards receiving and a touchdown.
So, OK, fine; Berry on JT, Flowers on DT and... who on Decker and Welker...? Sean Smith and Akeem Jordan? One of their sack machines? Sounds great to me; as long as PFM's not getting hit I'm sure he can find one of our TWO Pro Bowl WRs or Decker if they want to focus on JT. But Teo's a rookie and those other guys aren't; if we want Berry, a LB or anyone to "bit[e] too hard on the play-action just before Manning tosse[s] the ball" we must "run to establish the pass" and MAKE them honor that run, with all consequent vulnerability to play action. If our running game stalls, they can and will ignore the non-threat.