Chiefs can take control of AFC West by defeating Broncos in Week 4

The Kansas City Chiefs are racing right now, but a win over the Denver Broncos in Week 4 would give them a head start in the West AFC.

The handwriting was on the wall for Alex Smith when the Kansas City Chiefs traded against Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft, but the quarterback is likely better than expected. Mahomes has 13 non-interception touchdowns in the first three games, with a league best passer rating as the Chiefs are # 1 in the championship.

The Denver Broncos are 2-1 after a defeat by the Baltimore Ravens in the third week, with two wins totaling eight points. Case Keenum is starting to look like last year's career change, but facing a Chiefs pass defense tied at worst in the league (362.7 yards per game) seems like a good opportunity to bounce back.

Mahomes has hardly been bothered for three games, with just four sacks taken. His mobility certainly helped, but the Broncos pass, led by Von Miller (four sacks), will have to put the heat on the young caller to the signal to help pass defense to only 22nd of the league so far.

Mahomes showed he could do road tests against the Chargers and Steelers to start the season. But Denver is a different animal this week, with the altitude at stake to accompany the additional pressure of Monday night's projector. His departure for week 17 against the Broncos last year was on the road, in a match that did not matter to both teams, but Mahomes offered a glimpse of his talent by finishing 22nd for 35 for 284 yards.

During their "Hot Take Tuesday" segment on Total accessReggie Wayne, an analyst at NFL Network, predicted that Mahomes will launch four interceptions on Monday. It's a bit aggressive, but fortune clearly favors the audacious and Mahomes is certainly on the right track for some sort of regression.

The Monday night game has the potential to score points, as evidenced by the biggest overshoot of this week's list (55.5, via Oddsshark). An argument can be made so that the Chiefs carrying the total of points in the top 30 find themselves alone, but a bad defense leads to weekly shootings that lasted three weeks.

If the Chiefs come home with a win on Monday night, they will not only be 4-0 but at least two more games than any other West AFC players (with a win over the Chargers already in hand) . A victory for the Broncos would tie them with Kansas City at 3-1, with a win face to face in their own pocket. This match could therefore spread in the quarter division of the season or tighten things up and begin to set up a competitive race for the division title between at least two teams.