Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has admitted that his side struggled immensely against the Denver Broncos' defense in their defeat at Arrowhead Stadium.

Andy Reid's side were held to 16 points by the Broncos as Smith was sacked six times on the night and held to just 153 passing yards, while on the other side of the ball Peyton Manning and CJ Anderson were able to guide their team to a comfortable victory.

Smith told reporters: "It certainly felt like [the Broncos had everything covered]. There were times, especially on third down, where they did a good job of it. They had a good plan for us.

"It felt like there were some unscouted looks. I really felt like the last two weeks were uncharacteristic of who we are as a team.

"It's a little bit of a gut-check time. There's still a lot of football left, a lot of meaningful football left for us. It's going to be a matter of what we do with it."

The Chiefs are 7-5 in their season following their defeat, but still hold the sixth seed in the AFC conference in the race for the playoffs.