Denver @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2014 ) Denver 29, Kansas City 16

The Denver Broncos have won four consecutive AFC West titles but they'll face an early-season showdown for division supremacy when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. The Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 19-13 victory over visiting Baltimore while Kansas City eased to a 27-20 win at Houston that was not as close as the final score indicated.

Denver quarterback Peyton Manning attempted to allay concerns over the lack of productivity from the offense as the team adopts more of a ball-control offense under new coach Gary Kubiak. "Everybody is looking for these summaries of our offense and our team after Week 1 and I just don't think we're going to be able to do that," Manning said. "It's Week 1. We're a work in progress. ... We're trying to get better every single week." Meanwhile, the Chiefs shot out to a 27-9 halftime lead over the Texans behind three scoring passes from Alex Smith, but they face a nemesis in Manning and the Broncos. Denver has won six consecutive meetings in the series, including its last four visits to Kansas City.

TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, CBS, NFL Network. LINE: Chiefs -3. O/U: 42

ABOUT THE BRONCOS (1-0): Manning's arm strength, or lack thereof, has been a hot-button topic throughout the preseason and he finished with only 175 yards without a scoring pass in the opener, but he has thrown for 1,736 yards with 16 TDs versus three interceptions in six meetings against the Chiefs since joining Denver. C.J. Anderson was limited to 29 yards on 12 carries while dealing with a sprained toe, but he was at practice Tuesday night along with star wideout Demaryius Thomas, who suffered a hand injury versus Baltimore. The Broncos' defense, which produced the lone touchdown in Week 1 on Aqib Talib's interception return, limited the Ravens to only 173 total yards.

ABOUT THE CHIEFS (1-0): Smith has been typecast as a game manager but he got a vote of confidence - “Alex was on the money all day” - from tight end Travis Kelce, who had a huge opening game with six catches for 106 yards and a pair of scores. Running back Jamaal Charles had a relative quiet season debut with 57 yards rushing while matching newcomer Jeremy Maclin with five catches, but he has scored 15 touchdowns in his last 14 games overall. Kansas City yielded an AFC-low 281 points last season and received a boost with the return of linebacker Derrick Johnson, who registered a team-high eight tackles in his first game back after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Chiefs LB Justin Houston has 16 sacks in his last 11 games.

2. Manning needs 134 passing yards to join Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks to reach 70,000.

3. Chiefs coach Andy Reid dismissed reports that OT Eric Fisher asked out of the lineup in Week 1 and reiterated it was his decision.

PREDICTION: Chiefs 20, Broncos 17