Three numbers that tell the story of Broncos-Chiefs

DENVER — Russell Wilson sacrificed his health for a final burst of yardage early in the fourth quarter Sunday.

He took off a 14-yard scramble to the right side to move the Broncos into goal-to-go, and paid the price with a sizable welt on his forehead and a concussion that now has him in the league-mandated protocol, leaving his status for next Sunday uncertain.

It was a glimpse of the Wilson of old. Running with abandon, even when a slide to safety wasn’t an option. And Wilson’s work in scrambling defined his day, as he posted his first 50-yard rushing day in Denver.

That’s where we begin:

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57

Wilson’s rushing tally — on just four attempts. That was good for a 14.25-yard average that was the sixth-best of his career and his best since Week 1 of the 2017 season.

This is the first time Wilson hit 50 rushing yards in his last 28 starts. He hit the 50-yard mark six times in his previous 28 starts — an average of once every 4.67 games. His rate was the same in the 28 games before that, too.

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8

Yes, that is the length of the Broncos’ current losing streak against AFC West foes. But one meaning for eight is not enough.

Losses by one score for the Broncos this season. They fell to 3-8 in one-score games — including 1-7 in their last eight games decided by one score. Sunday’s loss nudged this year’s Broncos into a tie with the 1999 Broncos, who also lost eight games by eight or fewer points.

(If it were seven or fewer points, the 2020 Broncos would have the record to themselves. The 1999 Broncos had an 8-point loss to the New York Jets in Week 4 of that season — a 21-13 defeat best remembered for Terrell Davis suffering a devastating, career-altering knee injury while trying to make a tackle.)

The total of 11 one-score games is just one off the franchise record of 12, set in 1994 and 2015. (The 1991 Broncos also played in 12 games decided by 8 or fewer points each way, but because that was in the days before two-point conversions in the NFL, they actually played 11 one-score games, because at that time, one-score games were 7 points in each direction.)

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3.4

Average number of touchdowns allowed by the Broncos during eight home games against AFC West foes since the start of the 2020 season. Kansas City had four Sunday, including Willie Gay’s second-quarter pick-6 that made the score 27-0.

This is notable because against non-AFC West opponents, the Broncos surrender an average of just 1.7 touchdowns per home game in that span. It’s a similar story in points allowed. Denver surrenders an average of 29.5 points per game to division rivals since 2020, compared with 18.1 to everyone else.

And this season, the Broncos have allowed 3.0 touchdowns and 28.0 points per home game to AFC West foes, compared with 0.5 touchdowns and 11.8 points a game to four non-divisional opponents (Houston, San Francisco, Indianapolis and the New York Jets). This bodes well for next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, but not so well for the regular-season finale on Jan. 7 or 8 against the Chargers.

The Broncos’ goals for this season started simply: to “Win the West.” But they might need to begin with finding a way to stop the West.

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AND ONE MORE SET OF NUMBERS:

106-1,267-17

Believe it or not, these are Jerry Jeudy’s 17-game pace numbers when looking at his production in the last four games he’s played from start to finish.

Jeudy has 25 catches for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns in that span, with 3 touchdowns Sunday. That scoring tally is certainly an outlier; it matches his touchdown total for the 2022 season heading into Week 14.

But his other production appears sustainable. Wilson and Jeudy appear to have quietly found cohesion, and Jeudy may represent the Broncos’ best chance of finding a viable WR1 within their ranks.

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