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Broncos Expect A Heavy Dose Of Charles; You Should Too
Following up on the ongoing story. ... Even before the Chiefs' Week 1 game against the Titans got out of hand in the second half, running back Jamaal Charles was not seeing the ball.

At halftime, the Chiefs trailed 10-3, but Charles had just seven touches: five carries and two receptions. As DenverBroncos.com's Andrew Mason notes, quarterback Alex Smith had one more carry than Charles.

Charles finished with seven carries and 11 touches, his lowest totals since Oct. 28, 2012. Since then, he had averaged 21.25 touches for 124.96 yards per game -- and 5.88 yards every time he touched the football.

That is one of many changes the Broncos can expect from the Chiefs as they put a disastrous Week 1 loss behind them.

"We definitely know they’re going to have a heavy game plan for Jamaal," said Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib.

"And when you've got a top-tier guy getting seven (carries), something's not right," added Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. "So he'll definitely get a lot of touches this week."

Fantasy owners are undoubtedly counting on that.

But as Mason points out, how those touches are dispersed matters, as well.

Charles isn't just one of the league's best runners, but arguably its most dangerous receiver out of the backfield, as evidenced by his four-touchdown performance last year at Oakland, when he became the only running back in NFL history to catch four touchdown passes in a single game.

That threat transforms the Chiefs' passing game. And even if Charles isn't breaking away from linebackers in coverage, he's opening up the offense horizontally and providing a safe option for Smith. That helps create more opportunities for the nine-year veteran quarterback.

Dwayne Bowe is also back at wide receiver after a suspension, which should help Smith, and could arouse a Chiefs passing game that had just 178 yards on 39 pass plays -- three of which ended in interceptions -- last week.

"But," Mason summed up, "as has been the case the last two years, the Chiefs' offense will go as far as Charles can take it."

Charles owners know the feeling. If nothing else, there's reason for optimism given Andy Reid's admission he was "negligent" in failing to get Charles the ball against Tennessee. A course correction should be forthcoming.