MIAMI — The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and the Broncos don’t.
That’s not good for Denver.
What is potentially good is – and this is taking a small leap of faith -- Drew Lock may have a chance to become a better quarterback than Jimmy Garoppolo.
Lock only has a five-game sample size but it’s already evident he moves better than the 49ers quarterback, and therefore has a chance to be more productive under pressure.
Still, no one believes Lock will be Mahomes good. There is good, there is great and there is Michael Jordan great.
Mahomes is Michael Jordan great.
A few months past his 24th birthday, Mahomes was the NFL MVP in his first season as a starter in 2018 and did even better in 2019 by demonstrating uncommon toughness and competitiveness while overcoming a dislocated knee injury to lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, then a fourth quarter rally to capture the world championship and trip to Disney World as MVP in LIV.
Yes, a Super Bowl MVP is better than a league MVP every time. Watch Mahomes’ body language and expressions during a game and it’s easy to conclude he not only has Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods’ talent, he has Jordan and Woods’ ever-present tenacious pursuit of victory.
So how do the Broncos beat him? The Chiefs have already won four consecutive AFC West titles. And Kansas City crushed the Broncos in two games during the just-completed season, by scores of 30-6 and 23-3.
And it could have been worse. Mahomes suffered his dislocated kneecap early in the first meeting in Denver and the Chiefs’ offense was toying with the Broncos through a snowstorm at Arrowhead Stadium in the second game.
Will the AFC West turn out like the AFC East where New England has captured 11 division titles in a row and 16 of the past 17?
Broncos safety Justin Simmons said the subject of overcoming the Chiefs came up during Super Bowl week in Miami last week.
“All week having guys coming through in and out and talking shop with all these different players, it’s great,’’ Simmons said from the NFL Honors red carpet Saturday. “Obviously, (the Chiefs are) special but if I’m out there in Denver long enough we’ve got to find ways to do that.
“We definitely will, especially with Vic (Fangio, the Broncos' head coach and defensive play caller) and all the pieces we’re going to bring in for around Drew and I think this is definitely on the ascension in Broncos Country.”
Simmons will return to the Broncos even if it means playing the upcoming season on the franchise tag. Von Miller will also return as general manager John Elway has already said he will exercise the $6 million option on the edge rusher’s $18 million payout for 2020 on March 18.
“We’ve got to all play better, including myself,’’ Miller said from his red carpet stroll Saturday. “We’ve got a lot of great pieces coming up this year. Drew Lock is going to be great for us, Courtland Sutton, Phillip Lindsay. We’re going to pick up a couple dogs in the offseason this year. I definitely think we can be competitive next year.’’
Perhaps, the first goal for the Broncos is to be wild-card competitive. Six wild card teams have won the Super Bowl, including the 1997 Broncos.
But no wild card team has won it all since the 2010 Packers as the past nine Super Bowl champions first won their division. The AFC West runs through Mahomes and the Chiefs.
To overcome such a formidable opponent, the Broncos will first need Lock to wind up better than Garoppolo.
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