Chiefs Can’t Get it Done – Again – In Denver, 24-17

From Invesco Field

It was another one of those games so typical for the Chiefs in the last two months. With the game in doubt right down to the final minutes, they were one play on offense or one stop by the defense away from gaining their third victory of the season.

But as has happened so often in recent weeks, the Chiefs couldn’t find that game turning play and fell to the Denver Broncos 24-17. It was their eighth straight loss in Denver and they remain 0-for-Invesco.

QB Tyler Thigpen’s fourth down scramble from the Denver five-yard line was stopped at the one, ending the last threat the Chiefs had of tying the score with four minutes, 35 seconds left in the game.

It was a game where the Kansas City defense simply had trouble getting off the field against the Denver offense. The Broncos held the ball for 36:38 and racked up 27 first downs, 425 yards in offense and three touchdowns, two from WR Brandon Marshall.

Offensively, the Chiefs had just 260 offensive yards and only 14 first downs, scoring just one touchdown. The Kansas City defense had the team’s other six-pointer.

The teams traded possessions to open the game, but the Chiefs had the advantage with better field position thanks to a pair of nice returns in the kicking game. RB Jamaal Charles took the opening kickoff back 40 yards and WR Kevin Robinson had a 32-yard punt return that gave the Chiefs possession at their 49-yard line. It was the longest punt return in the last 42 games for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs offense drove 39 yards on six plays to set up the first score of the game, a 26-yard FG by K Connor Barth. The key play in the drive was a 34-yard bobbling completion from Thigpen to WR Dwayne Bowe. The Denver defense held them out of the end zone and after Barth’s FG, the Chiefs lead 3-0.

That margin would grow just a few plays later. The Broncos had a third-and-four at their own 25-yard line when QB Jay Cutler looked to his right for WR Brandon Stokely. But rookie CB Maurice Leggett jumped the route, picked off the pass and returned it 27 yards for his second touchdown in two weeks. Barth’s PAT kick made the score 10-0 in favor of the visitors.

Denver finally got its offense together just as the first period was ending, picking up five first downs, but not hitting any play for more than 18 yards. That long play was a touchdown run by rookie RB Peyton Hillis who ran through the right side of the Chiefs nickel defense untouched for a touchdown. The PAT kick by K Brett Kern cut the Chiefs lead to 10-7 and that’s how the first quarter ended.

The Chiefs came right back after Denver’s TD with a long, impressive scoring drive, as the offense kept the ball for 17 plays, moved 80 yards and chewed up 7:24 of the first-half clock. The score came on a 13-yard TD pass from Thigpen to TE Tony Gonzalez.

The big plays in the drive came included the third play of the possession when officials ruled Thipgen had thrown an interception to Denver LB Wesley Woodyard. But Herm Edwards challenged the play and the review showed that Woodyard never had possession of the ball before Bowe ripped it out of his hands. The play was called an incomplete pass.

Two plays later, Thigpen kept the ball on a fourth-and-one run and picked up the first down by inches. The Chiefs then converted three third-down plays, the last one a nice three-yard sweep by Johnson. That set up first-and-10 at the Denver 13-yard line. Thigpen ran the bootleg to his right and found Gonzalez open at the goal line covered by CB Josh Bell. Gonzalez made the catch and ran over the pylon for the score. Barth’s PAT kick gave the Chiefs a 17-7 lead.

Denver answered back with a long drive of their own, going 80 yards on 14 plays and using 6:57 of the second quarter. The Broncos picked up four first downs in the possession with the big play a 21-yard Cutler to Marshall throw on third down. The touchdown came from that same connection, on a third-and-goal play at the Chiefs 12-yard line, as Marshall got away from S Jarrad Page and behind CB Brandon Carr to catch the TD throw in the corner of the end zone. Prater’s PAT sliced the Chiefs lead to 17-14.

Denver got initial possession of the second half and the Broncos put together another long drive, going 66 yards on 12 plays and using 6:43 of the third quarter clock. Cutler moved the sticks five times, setting up a first-and-10 at the Kansas City 17-yard line. But the Chiefs defense stiffened, giving up just two yards on three plays. Prater’s 33-yard FG tied the score at 17-17.

On its next possession the Chiefs offense drove to the Denver 33-yard line thanks in large part to a 24-yard completion from Thigpen to Gonzalez. But from that point, Denver’s defense allowed nothing and the Chiefs were forced to punt. The kick by P Dustin Colquitt went for a touchback and Denver took over at their 20-yard line.

The Broncos drove to the Chiefs 31-yard line, but could not convert or score. Prater’s 48-yard FG went wide right and the score remained knotted at 17-17.

Late in the third quarter, the Broncos started a drive at their five-yard line after a nice 56-yard punt by Colquitt. Cutler took his team 95 yards on 12 plays, picking up five first downs and holding the ball for just a few seconds more than six minutes.

The big play in the drive was a 28-yard run by RB Tatum Bell, who had stepped in for the injured Hillis. Four players after Bell’s run, Cutler and Marshall connected on a six-yard wide receiver screen to the right side for the score. Prater’s PAT kick gave Denver a 24-17 lead.

The Chiefs offense came on the field and in eight plays was set up for a first-and-goal at the Denver 10-yard line. On first down, a Thigpen pass from Bowe fell incomplete. On second down, Thigpen ran a QB draw for five yards. On third down a pass for Bowe in the end zone was incomplete.

Then on fourth-and-goal from the five-yard line, Thigpen dropped back to pass, felt pressure on his outside and took off running up the middle. He was stopped at the one-yard line and Denver took over on downs.

The Broncos were able to convert a pair of third downs to keep the ball and kill the clock, moving their record to 8-5 on the season.