There isn't that sense of desperate concern this year regarding the passing defense. Denver ranks 32nd in pass defense this season, and one of their three games was against a weak Oakland passing offense.

San Diego's Philip Rivers and New Orleans' Drew Brees threw for almost 800 combined yards the past two games against Denver. This week, the Broncos play Kansas City, so a third straight poor game by the pass defense doesn't seem likely.

But the Broncos know that if they wish to be a contender in the AFC, the pass defense has to be better. But they feel like there are some ways to fix the pass defense without major changes.

"If you get that kind of effort overall, good things are going to happen," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "You have to be alarmed because you gave up so many passing yards but that is something you can work on and get better at."

Shanahan said one of the things that can be fixed in a short time are miscommunications among the defense. The team is also doing some different things schematically under new coordinator Bob Slowik, which has taken some adjustment. Shanahan said he thinks the passing defense will get better in short time.

The Broncos aren't denying the pass defense has been an issue. In back-to-back weeks they jumped out to 21-3 leads, only to be in a tight game at the end. Part of that was because the Broncos' pass defense gave up numerous big plays in each game.

"We've just got to play better," cornerback Champ Bailey said. "We've got to not miss tackles, be in the right places. A few times we missed some assignments (against New Orleans), and that's not like us."

The Broncos also need to generate a better pass rush. They have two sacks in the last two games, even though both teams passed most plays after falling behind 21-3. Defensive end Elvis Dumervil hasn't been as effective playing with a cast on his right hand protecting a broken pinkie, which has hindered the defense.

The Broncos played some snaps against the Saints in a 3-4 defense, which could be a regular feature of the Broncos defense. Shanahan said he thinks the 3-4 can be tough on an offense because it is not as predictable as the pass rush from a 4-3 alignment.

SERIES HISTORY: 96th meeting. Chiefs lead the series, 52-43, but the Broncos won a playoff game at Kansas City during the 1997 season, which led to Denver's win in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos have always struggled at Arrowhead Stadium under Mike Shanahan, but did get a convincing 41-7 win at Kansas City last year.