Brady Quinn must deal with altitude, rivalry vs. Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs will end a forgettable regular season on the road against the AFC West division champion Denver Broncos this Sunday, and quarterback Brady Quinn talked during Wednesday's press conference about the various challenges that are presented when playing the Broncos in Denver.

Quinn, a former member of the Broncos, said Denver is not an easy place to play for the opposition:

"It's a tough place to play, it really is. You notice it going in there as an opponent and you notice it when you're on the Broncos, you definitely feel like you've got some major home field advantage. They pack the place, it's loud, there's the altitude, there's all those factors."

Quinn continued, saying communication will be key for Kansas City:

"It's definitely a tough place to play, so we've got to do a good job communicating, making sure we're executing our game plan the best way possible, we can't be putting ourselves in the hold with penalties and stuff."

One of Denver's distinguishing characteristics is its altitude, and Quinn believes players have to keep its impact in mind:

"You know, what you feel is you get out there and you start playing the game, and even when you're a player out there, if you haven't acclimatized or gotten used to it, 20 minutes into it you feel like this thing isn't affecting me and then as time wears on, you kind of start to feel like you can't recover as fast. Obviously, there is a lack of oxygen in the air, so it takes you a little longer; you have to breathe a little harder to get oxygen into your body."

The Chiefs lost to the Broncos, 17-9, back in Week 12. In last week's 20-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Quinn went 10-of-22 for 162 yards and two interceptions. For the season, he has thrown for 1,092 yards -- completing 58.0 percent of his passes -- along with two touchdowns and eight interceptions.