Broncos Hold Off Chiefs 24-17: Bend But Don’t Break

The Broncos "survived" another week with a 24-17 win over the Chiefs in Denver on Sunday. Many fans are complaining about the win, but the bottom line is that win is a win, and Denver is 2-0 to start the year over two teams that were a combined 22-10 last year. It might not have been the prettiest win, but the Broncos got the job done once again. Here are my thoughts and observations about the game........

1)    Great play to Emmanuel Sanders on first play of the game. Peyton Manning made a great fake on the play-action pass and hit Sanders in stride for a 48-yard game . Great drive and great fade to Julius Thomas for an early 7-0 lead.

2)    The  Broncos defense couldn’t get off the field all game long. Knile Davis ate them up at times, Alex Smith killed them on 3^rd down passes and scrambles. Give Chiefs credit, but Broncos also killed themselves on 3^rd down. The Chiefs took a 10-7 lead and looked like the better team at that time. The Broncos had 11 penalties in the game. How many times did the defense jump offsides in this game? Defensive penalties have been a problem so far this season.

3)     The Broncos looked smooth in their last two drives of first half. Sweet play to Jacob Tamme for second touchdown and a 14-10 lead. Manning's 12-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas was a sweet fade route once again. At 21-10, you felt that the Broncos were in good position to take control of the game and run away with it. Naturally, they couldn’t extend their lead more.

4)    The main reason why the Broncos couldn’t extend the lead was because KC held onto it for basically the entire second half. Cheifs went 19 plays and took up 10 minutes of game time only to settle for a field goal that was missed. After Denver has drive stall at midfield, the Chiefs once again marched down the field-with the aid of Broncos penalties-to cut the lead to a 21-17. The Chiefs held the ball for over 36 minutes in this game. Give credit to the Chiefs, but a lot of that was self-inflicted by dumb plays by the Broncos defense. Think about it: The Chiefs didn't have Jamaal Charles since the opening possession of the game.

5)    Andre Caldwell returned the ball to midfield to give the Broncos a chance to put the game away. I didn’t understand the call to Sanders on 3^rd and goal. He runs a route and ends up 3 yards short of the end zone. They settle for the FG and only a 24-17 lead. Last year, Denver would have scored a touchdown there and put the game away, but this year they haven't been able to do that, and this gave the Chiefs a chance to tie it late.

6)    Give KC and Smith credit for rallying and getting the ball down inside five. DeMarcus Ware thought he ended the game on a strip-sack, but the Smith’s hand was going forward. Great stop by the defense for the second game in a row. Terrence Knighton got a hand up and swatted down a 4^th down pass, and Denver’s defense saves the day once again. It's encouraging that all of the nonsense with the penalties and big plays given up in the second half, that the Broncos defense made the key stop at the end of the game for the second consecutive game.

7)    This isn’t last year. The Broncos offense has had good 1^st halves, and inconsistent 2^nd halves. It is not the same team as last year. It seems like the Broncos are trying to find an identity on offense. They want to line up with two and three tight ends and run the ball with Montee Ball and set up their play action game which is nice, but this team will go as far as Peyton Manning will take them. I'm not saying they have to put all the eggs in his basket, but let him do what he does best. Play up-tempo, no-huddle, let Manning pick apart the defense through the air, and then grind it out on the ground when you have to. I don't envision the Broncos scoring over 600 points this year. This looks more like 2012-Manning's first year in Denver- than last year.

8)    Defensively, The new guys like Ware, T.J. Ward and Aqib Talib have paid off. They have played well, but the defense seems confused at times with alignment. I like the play of Nate Irving in the middle, but there are still holes up the middle on nickel situations. They really need Danny Trevathan when he comes back from injury in a few weeks. Chris Harris and Von Miller are working themselves back in. It will take time for the both of them-especially Miller. He did get his first sack of the year before the half, but he was resting a groin injury as precaution on the last drive. The defense is definitely better than last year, but they really need to get off the field on 3^rd down.
9) Two coaching moves that should be discussed. Why did Andy Reid elect to kick the extra point and not go for the two-point conversion when KC scored to make it 21-6 with 7:11 left in the game? I know Peyton Manning is on the other side of the field, but go for two there and try to make it 21-18. The damn sheet tells you what to do in those situations. Also, I am not going to get on John Fox for settling for a field goal to give Denver a 24-17 lead with 3:27 remaining. The Broncos faced a 4th and goal from the 3, but their offense hasn't been able to close out games, and they really didn't do anything in the second half. I actually agreed with Fox there. Take the points, make Alex Smith go down the field and try and tie the game. It ended up working out, but the Broncos had to sweat a bit there.

9)    Overall, the Broncos are  2-0 and that is all that matters. I feel like the Bronco fans are a little spoiled from last year when the Broncos would be dropping 40 points on everyone and cruising to a lopsided win. It is a new season, and all that matters is the result. I'll take both of these wins at home and be completely satisfied with it. Now, it is off to Seattle for the Super Bowl rematch with the Seahawks. It is definitely one of the marquee games of the year, and the Broncos face a mental challenge in this one to go along with the problems that Seattle gives them. I'll have more thoughts about the game in my Week 3 picks column, but if Denver goes up and gets crushed again, then that could be a bad sign for this team as the year progresses.