The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to face the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 7. This is the first time that the two AFC West division foes have played each other this season.

To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Jon Heath over at Broncos Wire and asked him a few questions.

Chiefs Wire: A lot has been made of Drew Lock’s QBR the past few days and the fact that he has the worst QBR among starting quarterbacks. What are people saying in Broncos land about the Lee’s Summit native?

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Jon Heath: Some media members in Denver are already writing off Lock but most fans agree it’s too early to make a final ruling on the second-year QB. He’s still only played eight games (7.2, really), so it’s a small sample size. His numbers are a little skewed, too, because Broncos receivers have the worst drop rate in the NFL this year. Last week alone, Lock had three perfect throws that could have been touchdowns and they were all dropped.

Chiefs Wire: In the past the Chiefs seem to have been able to take advantage of the Broncos’ offensive line. Has the unit made any positive strides this year?

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Jon Heath: They’ve made huge strides this year, thanks in large part to offensive line coach Mike Munchak. Last week, left tackle Garett Bolles and right guard Graham Glasgow made PFF’s Team of the Week. There is some concern that left guard Dalton Risner might miss Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. If he does, Austin Schlottmann would be the favorite to start in Risner’s place and that could be a big mismatch against Chris Jones.

Chiefs Wire: The early forecast looks like there could be snow at Mile High on Sunday. In Week 15 of 2019, the Broncos played against the Chiefs in a snow game at Arrowhead Stadium and struggled. Do you think they’ll be better prepared to play in the winter weather this year?

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Jon Heath: One would hope so but there’s certainly no guarantee. Last year, Broncos receivers struggled to hang onto the ball in the snow and that trend has continued this year even in warm weather. The good news for Denver is that Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon are both healthy now, so if the game turns into a low-scoring, run-heavy slog, the Broncos have two backs capable of moving the ball in the snow.

Chiefs Wire: Are there any unheralded Broncos players that Chiefs fans should know about ahead of the game?

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Jon Heath: WR Tim Patrick has had back-to-back games with 100 receiving yards and has surprisingly emerged as one of Lock’s favorite targets. TE Albert Okwuegbunam made his NFL debut last week and it was easy to see that he played with Lock in college because the QB targetted him often, including four times in the end zone. Patrick and ‘Albert O’ could be sleepers in the passing game. On defense, Shelby Harris continues to bat down passes at an impressive rate and Malik Reed is stepping up in the place of an injured Von Miller. Last week, Reed totaled five tackles and two sacks.

Chiefs Wire: What’s your prediction for the game?

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Jon Heath: I’ll sound like a homer predicting the Broncos could snap a 9-game losing streak against the Chiefs, but I truly believe Denver has a shot to upset KC at home.  Nobody is going to stop Kansas City’s offense, but the Broncos could slow them down. It’ll come down to Denver’s offense. If the receivers continue dropping passes, the Broncos won’t be able to keep up. If Denver starts scoring TDs instead of FGs, the Broncos could squeak out a win, 28-24.