DIRTY DOZEN DIES WITH VICTORY OVER DENVER, 33-19
From Arrowhead Stadium
The Dirty Dozen is no more.
After going 11 months without a victory, the Chiefs finally tasted the sweet juice of winning on Sunday in an improbable 33-19 victory over the previously undefeated Denver Broncos.
After losing nine games in a row at the end of last year and then the first three of this season, things were as bad as they could be in the Chiefs Nation. But this young football team finally did what it needed to do and showed the kind of talents that have made them foundations for this rebuilding project.
“We just stopped worrying about everything and just went out and played,” said safety Jarrad Page, a grizzled veteran on this team as a third-year player. “We didn’t talk about losing streaks. We didn’t worry if we gave up a big play. We just went out and played each play as hard as we could.”
Added head coach Herm Edwards:
“That’s a good football team we played today. I think what we finally realized was we had to play with passion. Just play, not worry about doing everything right or the score. I thought for the most part we did that.”
They did it well enough to beat a Denver team that has a potent offense, but a defense that’s going to break the heart of the Broncos faithful.
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(More Story Below)
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Chiefs-Broncos Game Coverage
- Commentary: The Streak is Dead
- L.J. wanted work, he’s got it
- Defense stands up
- Rookies contributed everywhere
- No record for Tony and other notes
- A Denver Look: at the Broncos offenseand the Broncos defense
- Game Book: play-by-play and statistics
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They found that out thanks to the powerful legs of Larry Johnson. Just two weeks after he said he felt he was being phased out of the Chiefs offensive picture, the big back rumbled for 198 yards on 28 carries and a pair of touchdowns.
But it was the defense that drove a stake through the heart of the dirty dozen. Led by LBs Derrick Johnson and Demorrio Williams, the Chiefs defense gave up 446 yards. But that number is meaningless because they forced four turnovers by the Broncos offense. Denver scored just one touchdown, after putting 13 offensive TDs on the board in the first three games. Derrick Johnson contributed an interception and forced a fumble. Rookie CB Brandon Carr had an interception and a fumble recovery.
“We went in with the mindset that they have a very good offense and they were going to move the ball some,” said Edwards. “But we wanted to hold them to field goals. If you just hold them to field goals, you’re going to have a chance.”
The Chiefs enjoyed something in the first quarter that they haven’t had for some time: a lead. They took the opening kickoff and moved down for a 23-yard FG from Nick Novak that ended a nine-play, 94-yard drive. The key play was a 65-yard run by Johnson on the second offensive snap of the game. It’s the longest run of his pro career. Seven plays later, Novak hit the FG to give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead.
The Kansas City defense stepped up and made its first major contribution, forcing a fumble at the end of a pass play from QB Jay Cutler to WR Eddie Royal. Hustling DE Turk McBride got down the field and knocked the ball out and it was recovered by Carr, who returned the fumble 17 yards to the Broncos 26-yard line.
The offense picked up a nice third down on a 17-yard pass from QB Damon Huard to WR Dwayne Bowe, but couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone. Novak kicked a 21-yard field goal and the Chiefs lead was 6-0.
On Denver’s next possession, the Broncos offense picked up a first down, but their drive ended when Derrick Johnson got a big third down sack of Cutler to force a punt. Early in the second quarter, the Broncos took over at their own 38-yard line and Cutler moved the team on eight plays to a touchdown. The big play in the drive was a 40-yard screen pass to RB Michael Pittman on a third down-and-18 yard play.
The touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from Cutler to WR Brandon Marshall who made a leaping catch at the back of the end zone and got both feet down for the score. Matt Prater kicked the extra point and Denver had a 7-6 second quarter lead.
The defense got the Chiefs back on the scoreboard. The Broncos had Marshall come out of the backfield on a running play and Derrick Johnson came quickly in run support and ripped the ball from Marshall’s hands. The fumble was recovered by CB Brandon Flowers who returned it 37 yards and was tackled just short of the end zone.
Two runs by Larry Johnson produced his 52nd career rushing touchdown, as he went in from the one-yard line. Novak’s PAT kick gave the Chiefs a 13-7 lead.
Denver drove right back down the field, hitting a handful of big plays before the Chiefs defense slowed their pace, forcing a field goal try. But Prater missed a 28-yard FG wide right.
Prater got a chance to redeem himself just before the half came to an end, when he nailed a 56-yard FG with 11 seconds remaining to cut the Chiefs lead to three points, 13-10 at intermission.
The Broncos took the second half kickoff and moved 32 yards with the big play coming on a 28-yard pass from Cutler to Royal. But the Chiefs defense again kept Denver out of the end zone and Prater hit a 51-yard field goal to tie the score at 13-13 with 12 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the period.
After a nice 35-yard kickoff return from Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs started at their own 37-yard line and Larry Johnson immediately ripped off a 17-yard run on first down. That run put Johnson over 100 yards for the game, the 29th time he’s passed the century mark in his career. However, the drive stalled after one more first down and Novak came in and kicked a 43-yard FG to give the Chiefs a 16-13 lead midway through the quarter.
The Chiefs defense forced the third Broncos turnover of the game when Derrick Johnson picked off a Cutler pass for Marshall on a third-and-10 play and returned the interception seven yards into Denver territory.
But the Chiefs offense gave the ball right back, as Larry Johnson fumbled as he was tackled by the Broncos CB Champ Bailey and the ball was recovered by Denver LB Boss Bailey.
The Chiefs defense again forced a turnover, as Carr jumped in front of a pass to Marshall for his first NFL interception. Carr returned the ball 32 yards, snuffing another Denver scoring threat.
Near the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs started a drive at their own 27-yard line. They had a big third down conversion on third-and-nine when Huard hooked up with Bowe for a 17-yard gain. Just as the fourth quarter started, Huard found WR Jeff Webb for a 15-yard gain, and then Bowe again for 10 yards. The scoring play came on a second-and-seven play at the Broncos 10-yard line, when Huard found TE Tony Gonzalez open in the end zone. Novak hit the PAT kick and the Chiefs led 23-13. It was the 68th TD catch of Gonzalez’s career.
Denver answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that reached the Chiefs three-yard line, but they couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Prater hit a 22-yard FG and the Broncos trailed by seven, 23-16.
The Chiefs answered right back, thanks to a 51-yard kickoff return by Dantrell Savage that gave the offense opening field position at the Denver 49-yard line. While the offense couldn’t find the end zone, they ran off more than four minutes as they drove in seven plays to a 33-yard FG by Novak that pushed the difference back to 10 points, 26-16. The big play on the possession was a 23-yard pass from Huard to Gonzalez.
Denver added another Prater FG, but the Chiefs recovered the Broncos onside kick attempt and drove down the field on the legs of Johnson. He cracked off a 34-yard run and finished it up with a 16-yard touchdown jaunt over the left side on a play where it looked like he had been stopped for a minimal gain.
WOW….Great game!!!
They clicked today and it was awesome for them to beat the Donks. I just wish they would have thrown one more pass to Tony G. He deserved to break Sharpe’s record against them. To all of you haters I’m sorry they disappointed you today, no I’m not LoL.
I was proud to see the CHiefs not give up. Gotta hand it to Herm, he had the boys ready to go today. They could have given up at 0-3 after hitting rock bottom, but we came out and hit the donkeys in the face from the first play and never looked back! The rookies were outstanding!!! Great win!
They looked good today. Offense, defense, special teams. I’ve seen some posts on this website telling fans to “stay home, don’t go in arrowhead, give them an empty stadium.” Games like today’s game is the reason we can’t do that. Give the Donkey an a** kickin’ and send them back west!!!!
GO CHIEFS
So….this is what winning feels like…..I almost forgot. And how sweet it was against the Donks. They really needed that….and so did us fans.
The chiefs played like a desperate team. It was good to see and I hope it continues.
To think its been almost 1yr since a win. Feels good.
findthedr, I didn’t see any desperation today. And per your past posts, I thought you didn’t want them to win.
They WERE desperate for a win, But they played with enthusiasm!Fire!WANT and Desire!
That isn’t what he said John. He said they played like a desperate team. They didn’t. I agree with you they did play with a lot of enthusiasm and fire. I didn’t see any desperation in their play. I didn’t see any of them try to win the game without the others. When a team is desperate they try to win it by themselves instead of playing as a team. Today, I saw a team play and it was wonderful to watch.
It was a great win and couldn’t have happened to a better opponent. I hate the donks almost as much as the Raiders.
When Did I say that I didnt want them to win? I said that I didnt THINK they would win. Big diffrence.
They allowed Huard to throw downfield instead of typical short throws. The defense mixed in alot of man coverage in the secondary. The players were actively trying to force turnovers. LJ was not asked to repeatedly run up Adrian Jones rear.
On top of that the coaches were FORCED to start players due to injury (such as Williams and Carr) and those players outplayed the vets they replaced.
Sept 28— The groundhog says, we knew you chiefs could dig your self out of that big hole you were doing. Go Chiefs
September 27, 2008 – findthedr says:
I know the game hasnt yet begun, but I’ll go ahead and jump the gun:
Clean House!
Fire “Ëśem all!!
so are you saying you dont want to see Carl and Herm fired?
Carl doesnt deserve a reprieve, and Herm will have to do alot more than winning 1 game to convince me he can lead the chiefs to a superbowl victory.
I could discuss in depth Herm’s ineptitude that he has shown both in NY and KC, but I would rather enjoy the win today.
It was the most points the rebuilding, youthful Chiefs had scored since 2006.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=280928012
WoW
I for one do not want Herm fired yes until today the team has not perform and it is on him to get them to. But as some of us have said rebuilding takes time I know you want results now but if they go after this vet and that vet which they did during Vermeil times it did not work so they are trying to build from within and have money in the cap so that when these young guys step up and there contract is up the can afford to pay them.
Congrats Chiefs!
Now this was the same team that played in the opener against NE, I just sure hope they show up like this a little more often.
A game like this shows there is hope.
How bout them CHIEFS!!!!!!
Why would I want Carl fired? He is done after next year anyway. I do think its time for him to go away. I agree with Chris though on Herm. I was enjoying the win,until …..
Chris,
I hear what you are saying, but results now mean more than wins. It means improvement.
Fans have a right to see that specially after a 12 game losing streak. In many of those losses the chiefs made the same mistakes as in the past (such as conservative playcalling).
Also, I have no problem going after Vets if they will help the team. One cant expect the QB, RB, and WR to ‘improve’ and play well when the offensive line cant protect them or open up holes.
You dont play young players (such as Thigpen against Atlanta) just to evaluate them, you play to win the game. That is what they showed against Denver but not against Atlanta or the Raiders.
“they are trying to build from within and have money in the cap so that when these young guys step up and there contract is up the can afford to pay them.”
that was not the case with Jared Allen. That was strictly a buisness decision.
Skip-pity Do Da, Skip-pity Day, My Oh My What a Wonderful Day!!
Chiefs Whipped the Donk’s and The By God Al Mighty Cowboys squatted and peed.
Thank Ya Lord for this day Ol Buddy.
Carlm says:
“Why would I want Carl fired? He is done after next year anyway.”
Although his and Herm’s contract are up, Carl has stated he is open to coming back.
For me, I’m just glad for the win today and I’m going to enjoy it this week. The only thing they didn’t get done was Tony G fell one yard shy of beating Sharpe’s record but in the long run, I’d rather have the win. Tony will get that record next week against the Panthers anyway.
I forgot to mention in my other post, it was nice to see Will Franklin make his first catch. We really need someone opposite Bowe to take the pressure off of him and Franklin showed so much potential in the preseason. Webb has been quiet this year but he did make that big catch for a 1st down late in the game.
Come on Bob Give us something on Albert!??
I agree colby, and Demorrio Williams also, I thought he played a heck of a game too.
Happy to see the Chiefs come away with a W ~ I hope they can keep it up against a tough Carolina team!
Albet dislocated his elbow. We will have to wait to see to what degree and how much damage he suffered to ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage, nerves, and possibly bone. Elbow dislocations can be very serious. Lets hope for good news.
When Albert fell he caught himself with his right arm and a defender rolled up on it. They showed a replay and it looked bad.
Wow…great game…
Also, my goodness Bob, I am happy your site has exploded. I remember being one of the only couple of people who would ever comment on anything…now I am hidden amongst the masses…Get us some good coverage of the locker room reaction big man…
That’s the most fun I have had aon a sunday in about a year! And against the Donkies
findthedr,
We didn’t play Thigpen against Atlanta just to evaluate him.
We played Thigpen because the O-line hadn’t gelled yet (they showed improvement during that Atlanta game, and again this week against the Broncos), and Thigpen is both more mobile and has a quicker release.
Huard needs more time because he has a slow windup/release, and it was just this week that the staff finally felt confident enough in our O-line to let him stay back there.
Our coaches are better/smarter than you think.
actually there was a solid rumour that Huard took himself out of the Raiders game and then insinuated that he could have played (thus throwing the coaches under the buss). Thus he was in the coaches doghouse and they started Thigpen.
That being said, even before the Raiders game Herm had stated that BOTH Thigpen and Huard would play QB by committee (its in writing).
Yes, Thigpen is more mobile and does have a quicker release, but he has poor mechanics, takes half a game to warm up, not accurate, and stares down his primary reciever.
Huard does have a slower windup/release, but he produced all 4 of our wins last yr with an arguably worse Oline, and moved the team against New England when Brodie got hurt. He has shown he can read a defense better, faster, than Brodie and Thigpen.
Gailey is probably smarter than I think, not Herm or Gunther.
yesss, the defense showed improvement! third and long inside the opponent’s ten yard line and they only gave up a twenty yard play! other than that play though, that’s the first time in a long time Gun’s personality showed up in his defense. if they can string together a few games with that kind of play, kc might be taken seriously again. very nice to see them win. also nice to see lj run angry again. he started to last week and carried it into this week. he’s got what, 500 yards now?
Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame,
you said the coaches are smarter than I think. You might want to read this.
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Johnson called a meeting this last week with defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham. It was a quiet conversation like this one, and Johnson told Cunningham he wasn’t happy with how he’d been playing. He knew he was drafted in the first round more than three years ago to be a playmaker, and he hadn’t yet hit his potential. Johnson asked for autonomy. Cunningham obliged.
“Good player, everybody knows I’m athletic,”Âť Johnson said. “I haven’t been showing it the last three games. I’ll even say it. I’m not playing bad, but it’s just, “ËśWhere’s DJ?’
“I told Gun, “ËśLet me just go.’ “Âť
And away Johnson went.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/818234.html
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that sure doesnt sound like any of Gun’s good coaching, but the players (specifically LB) playing well because he finally shut up and let them play.
“I looked up at the scoreboard,”Âť [Herm] said after the Chiefs’ 33-19 win against Denver, “and said, “ËśOh my goodness, can we really win this game?’ “Âť
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/818070.html
there are the words of our fearless leader. lol
What’s Derrick Johnson contract status? Resign him.
Wow, I mean simply amazing. This is what I get for thinking. I was sitting on my couch just seconds before kickoff. I turned to my dad and said “You know this is the first game this season where I actually don’t think we have a chance to win.” Then here comes the Chiefs with all kinds of surprises. An early lead. No interceptions. Brandon Albert goes out…Oh No!!, but no problem because Herb Taylor is going to come in and do his job really well. Larry for nearly 200?? Novack kicking the ball all the way into the other endzone several times? The two rookie Brandon’s in our secondary creating turnovers……the sights…..the sounds…..Will Franklin……Turk McBride…..Glen Dorsey….where did this come from? Can we keep up this enthusiasm? We actually looked….dare I say it…..GOOD?
findthedr, I’m confused (imagine that) are you saying you don’t think Gun is a good D coordinator or that he is?
Glimpse of the future. That is how I describe Sunday’s game. This is how these guys are going to perform in years to come. To me it proves this team is headed in the right direction because those young guys are only going to get better with time. The only missing ingredient for the long term is the quarterback position. Once we find the right guy for that position we will contend for a title in the near future.
JohnNdallas, I dont think that Gun is a good D. coordinator.
His record speaks for itself. We got him high draft picks, the players H wanted in Free Agency (such as Kendrell Bell, Pat Surtain, and Nap Harris), his own coaches, and still couldnt be successful. He than pretty much said he needs a Defensive Head coach to hold his hand and was excited about Herm being the head coach. Herm implemented the cover 2 which helped them not give up as many big plays.
Gun has said that he wants to stop the run, and then go after the QB…and the run defense has been horrible since he has come back. If you actually look at the points given up a game (the ultimate and most important stat), his teams have given up almost exactly as many points/game as Greg Robbinson coached chiefs defenses!
As the above quote shows, DJ pretty much went to Gun and said that he wants to do his own thing (freelance) and no longer wants to listen to him…and he did well. Basically, all of Gun’s special coaching of the linebackers was holding DJ back.
Some here didnt agree with me when I said that the chiefs played like a desperate team. Here are some chiefs quotes that kinda back that up (if the play on the field wasnt enough to convince you):
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LB DERRICK JOHNSON
On the game: “This was a must win game for this football team. We were getting kind of frazzled. We knew our backs were against the wall to win this game.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/09/29/chiefsbroncos_postgame_comments__players/
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Hmm. “frazzled.” “backs against the wall to win.” Sounds desperate to me.
,Wow findthedr, I usually don’t disagree with you this strongly, but your last 2 post have me stunned!
First of all, you (I assume) live in the KC area and I live in dallas, so I must admit that you get more info than I do, But Gun’s defenses have won in the past.(see my post on “Game Coverage”)
And then your last post here, IF that report is true and accurate, Give Gun credit for not being bullheaded and letting DJ have a little Leigh way
to free lance a bit.
Who the hell wasn’t “frazzled”? Remember the look on Herms face on the sideline during the Atlanta game?
You used the word desperate in the wrong context!
They were desperate for a win, but the point others are trying to make is they didn’t play desperate, desperate is the way they played the previous 2 weeks, every one running around (and into each other) trying to make the play, looking like clowns. That wasn’t the way they played yesterday.
And then, to even compare Gun to Robbinson, to me that’s laughable, I don’t care what the stats say.
And finally, you say “He than pretty much said he needs a Defensive Head coach to hold his hand and was excited about Herm being the head coach. Herm implemented the cover 2 which helped them not give up as many big plays.”
How many times have we been burned on third and forever this season using a cover two? I remember you ragging on the cover two defense in more than one of your post.
Like I said (and it seems to already have begun) to quote you findthedr ” cutting the assistants is just a scape goat” Your words.
IMO, This is HERMS D not Gun’s.
That should be Robbison to Gun**
JohnNDallas,
the stats exist whether you want to believe it or not. In the end, its points given up that matters and Robbinson’s and Gun’s defenses have given up the same.
You guys said that ‘playing desperate’ is players making plays on their own…i.e. freelancing. that is exactly what DJ did and it resulted in a forced fumble and interception
Cover 2 worked for the chiefs in 2006 with Surtain and Law…though Surtain is better at man coverage. The CBs got old fast in 2007 and had to give big cushion. Cover 2 is predicated on a pass rush, which is something we havent had so far in 2008.
If you give a QB enough time, than eventually they will find the open zone and complete the pass.
Gun’s record of work was not only with Herm but with Vermiel too.
I’m done! you proved that your an idiot, I had nothing to do with it. In fact I used to try and make excuses for some of your ignorant statements!
Shows that, I too am a dumb A$$!