Broncos Dominate Chiefs in Arrowhead On Their Way to 29-16 Win

The Broncos headed to Arrowhead on Sunday night for a crucial showdown with the Chiefs. It was really cold, windy, and it had all of the makings of a rough night for Denver. The Broncos instead turned the tables on the Chiefs and completely dominated the game from the start on their way to a 29-16 win. It was complete domination on both sides of the ball, and it gave the Broncos a huge win and put them at 9-3 and still in front of the AFC West. As fans, we were complaining about Denver’s lackluster performances on the road this season, but they put those concerns to rest with this victory. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game….

1)    How about that dominating run game? How about the emergence of C.J. Anderson? Once again Anderson was a huge factor in the run game, and the Broncos were committed to running game all night. Their offensive line abused the KC defensive line, and it was the perfect recipe on the road in a cold and windy environment. If the Broncos keep running the ball this way, it will make their offense even more dangerous with the play-action passing game.

2)    Peyton Manning didn’t have one of his best games statistically, but he didn’t have to be great on this night. In the first half, he did his job by completing big third downs on the first three drives. His two highlights were a touchdown on a fade to Demaryius Thomas to make it 7-0, and then he found Anderson underneath for another score to make it 14-0. He did what he had to do on this night.

3)    Denver’s defense was downright dominant. They set the tone by forcing punts on the Chiefs first three drives. Jack Del Rio actually brought some different blitz packages and T.J. Ward and Quinton Carter picked up big sacks on the first couple of series. Demarcus Ware was a beast all game long, and the Broncos completely shut down Jamaal Charles and held him to only 35 yards rushing. Also, they beat the shit out of Alex Smith. Their performance was the most dominant they have been all season long. They forced 5 punts, the Chiefs were 1-9 on third down, forced 8 negative plays, they had six sacks, a fumble forced, and an interception. It was a dominating performance to say the least.

4)    This game should have been over by halftime. Denver was up 20-7, but they could have been up more. Jacob Tamme and Demaryius Thomas both dropped touchdowns on two drives and Denver had to settle for field goals both times. Those field goals kept KC in the game.

5)    The fake punt by David Bruton was just brilliant. I loved the call. After a punt downed KC inside their own 10, a penalty wiped out the play and Andy Reid made Denver punt it again. On a 4^th and 7, Bruton saw a look from the punt team that he liked, called for the fake, and scooted around left end to get a first down and keep the drive alive. That fake led to a score and a 17-0 lead for Denver.

6)    Connor Barth had a nice debut adding five field goals. On a cold and windy night, I’ll take his performance. The one thing that was a concern was that his kickoffs were awful and KC constantly had the ball at their own 35 yard line. That lack of field position will eventually hurt the Broncos down the road against good teams.

7)    I also loved the fact that John Fox decided to go for it on 4^th and 1 from the KC 22 in the 2^nd quarter up 14-0. A handoff to Anderson and a 13 yard gain gave Denver a first down and also led to a field goal.

8)    With Denver holding on to a lead, their offense stalled, but their defense came up with the big turnover they needed to get. Up 20-10, Denver had KC pinned to their own 11, and on the first play, Terrence Knighton deflected a Smith pass and Demarcus Ware was there to pick it off. It led to a field goal and a big 23-10 lead.

9)    Another big play in the third quarter was when the Broncos punted and the ball accidentally hit a KC player and Denver recovered at the KC 37. That drive led to another field goal and a huge 26-10 lead. You just had the feeling that the Bronos were getting all the breaks in this game after that.

10) I thought the biggest play of the night by Manning was on a 3^rd and 7, he hit Emmanuel Sanders down the sideline on a fade for a 23 yard gain and a first down. It moved the chains, took more time off the clock, and set up Denver for a field goal to make it 29-16 with 7:37 to go in the game.

11) On a brutally cold night in Arrowhead, the Broncos did what they had to do and won a big game on the road. It might have been their most impressive performance of the season considering the circumstances. At 9-3, they still have work to do in the AFC West. San Diego is 8-4 and they play at SD in two weeks. Denver hosts the 7-5 Bills on Sunday. There is a lot of football left to play, but Sunday night’s win was a big step in the right direction.

12) One last point on this game: Peyton Manning is now 15-1 vs. the AFC West in is career as a Bronco. He is 6-0 against the Chiefs, and he is undefeated in three straight trips to Arrowhead. The Broncos are actually on a four-game winning streak in KC going back to 2011.