The most important lesson that should've been learned in the Denver Broncos' 51-48 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday is that the Broncos aren't going to lose a shootout this season. The team that ultimately beats them will have to control tempo. It will need a strong defense. It also will have to know how to win ugly.

In other words, it will have to be the Kansas City Chiefs.

Of all the teams the Broncos will play in the next month, Kansas City is the only one with a real chance of pulling an upset. We all know the Jacksonville Jaguars will be slaughtered by Denver's high-powered attack Sunday. A trip to Indianapolis also should be another victory for the Broncos, primarily because there's no way quarterback Peyton Manning is losing a matchup with his former team. That leaves the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers, both of which field some of the worst defenses in the league. Those contests should only add to the hype already surrounding the Broncos' machine.

That leaves the Chiefs in a Nov. 17 matchup that already looks more intriguing than it did when this season began. Few people believed in Kansas City at that point because the Chiefs were coming off a 2-14 season that yielded the first pick in this year's draft. Even with a new coach (Andy Reid) and quarterback (Alex Smith), the consensus was the Chiefs would be fortunate to hover around the .500 mark, and anything better than that would be considered a major shock to those who follow the NFL.

Now that we're entering Week 6, there's a different narrative being written. The Broncos are exactly what most expected -- an explosive juggernaut that has devastated every defense it has faced and stands capable of obliterating every major offensive record in league history. The Chiefs, however, are also 5-0, and they're winning in an entirely different fashion. Like a savvy chef, Reid uses everything in his cupboard to achieve the necessary results, especially a defense that allows a league-low 11.6 points per game.