Broncos Defeat Chiefs in SNF Showdown

The Broncos and Chiefs squared off on Sunday night in Denver for the highly anticipated battle between the two top teams in the AFC. The 9-0 Chiefs headed to Mile High as a decided underdog and many people were skeptical if KC could hang with the Broncos. The outcome won’t dispel many of those questions surrounding the Chiefs going forward. Denver’s 27-17 victory wasn’t the most convincing win as a Bronco fan, but it certainly sent a message that the Broncos are still the team to beat in the AFC West. Denver’s win puts the Broncos at 9-1 and tied with the Chiefs for first place in the division. Their game with each other two weeks from now in Arrowhead will be very significant in determining who actually does win this division. For now, let’s focus on the Broncos big win on Sunday. Here are my thoughts and observations from the game….

1)    Both teams started out pretty slow on offense. KC punted the first three series they had the ball. Denver only moved the ball a little on their first drive and they settled for a long field goal and a 3-0 lead. It seemed like both teams were nervous on offense to start the game.

2)    The game turned on the following sequence: On a 3^rd and 1 from their own 27, Denver fumbled when Peyton Manning and Montee Ball fumbled an exchange and KC recovered. On the very next play, KC fullback Anthony Sherman caught a pass in the flat, but got crushed by Danny Trevathan and the Broncos recovered a fumble to give them the ball right back. On a 3^rd and 5, Manning then hit Demaryius Thomas on a 70 yard go route to put the Broncos in business deep into KC territory. Manning hit Julius Thomas on a sweet 9 yard touchdown pass to give Denver an early 10-0 lead. That sequence of plays really changed turned this game around early.

3)    Right before the half, there was another sequence. Denver moved the ball into KC territory, but the drive stalled. Denver attempted a 52 yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-10, but naturally Matt Prater missed it. If KC could get some points there, then this game could be different. The Denver defense rose up to the challenge, and Shaun Phillips made a big-time play with his sack of Alex Smith to thwart the series with no points given up. 

4) By the way, Prater really sucks at long kicks before the half and in pressure situations. He hadn't missed a kick this year until that point, but I won't trust Prater all year-especially after last year's debacle against Baltimore in the playoff game.

5) At the half, I felt pretty good about this game, and the Broncos were getting the ball to start the second half, but give credit to the Chiefs and their defense because they forced three straight Bronco punts, and it kept the game close.

6) On the flip side, the Broncos defense shut down the Chiefs as well. It was like a tennis match with each defense holding serve. 

7) The play of the second half was when Denver had the ball with under six minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, and Manning and the Broncos faced a 3rd and 3 on the KC 47. Manning waited in the pocket forever and finally found Eric Decker on a crossing route for 33 yards. That play set up a Montee Ball 8 yard touchdown run to give Denver the comfortable 24-10 lead. That pretty much put the game away from there.

8) When you look at this game the first thing that stands out was how well the Broncos protected Manning. He got rid of the ball really quickly, but even when he had to wait in the pocket, he simply wasn't touched. Plus, the Broncos really kept the running game a high priority. It was important for them to stick with the run game, and they did that as much as they can all game long.

9) The win over KC was a statement game for the Broncos, but the road to the #1 seed in the AFC and the AFC West title is still very far away. The Broncos will travel to Arrowhead on December 1st, and it will be a very tough test for Denver to knock off the Chiefs in that venue on their home turf. Also, don't forget that the Broncos must head to Foxboro to take on the Patriots in another huge game next Sunday night. There is a lot of work still to be done for the Broncos and their playoff situation, but at 9-1 Denver still has a great chance to get the top seed in the AFC.