Kansas City Chiefs
at
Denver Broncos
Kansas City 27, Denver 23 - Well, ever since winning the Super Bowl in January of 2016, the Broncos have been wildly inconsistent. Every year, they seem to get off to an undefeated start, only to have an equally unimpressive losing streak right on the heels of that awesome start. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Broncos looked awesome, undefeated and tied with Kansas City for first place. They had knocked off the Seahawks in a thriller, then beat the Raiders on the road. But the Ravens dominated them in week three, handing them their first loss. And then, on Monday night, they had a chance to take on the Chiefs, and at least do the same to KC. With a win, Denver would once again hold a share of the lead in the AFC West, and would, for the time being, hold the tie-breaker. The Broncos were in great shape entering the final quarter, up 20-13, and driving, trying to put some cushion between them and the Chiefs. But KC has been a miracle team so far through the season, and they were not giving up. Once again, they managed to get things done, to keep their composure, when they faced pressure. Patrick Mahomes capped a 12 play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs were suddenly within three with roughly six and a half minutes to go. KC's defense held the Broncos, and gave the ball back to that dangerous offense. And once they had the ball back, Kansas City orchestrated an 8-play, 60-yard drive that resulted in a Kareem Hunt touchdown run from four yards out, giving the Chiefs an impressive, come from behind road win against a tough division rival. On the day, Mahomes was impressive. It was not an off the charts performance like some of those from earlier in the season, yet he still completed 28 of 45 pass attempts for 304 yards and a touchdown. Casey Keenum, in a losing effort for the Broncos, completed 21 of 33 passes for 245 yards, although he had an interception. It seems that the quarterback issues for Denver continue in the wake of the departure of Peyton Manning and the Super Bowl win a few years ago. The Chiefs also showed an impressive running game, with Hunt picking up 121 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Indeed, for now, Kansas City looks like they have a complete team, with an explosive offense that forces opponents to pick their poison between a solid running attack and a dangerous game in the air, while the defense, while sometimes allowing a lot of points, seems to hold teams when it is really necessary.
No comments:
Post a Comment