Fourth-quarter notes from Arrowhead Stadium …

9:29 P.M. CST: Denver’s red-zone defense is now three-for-four in keeping the Chiefs out of the end zone, and only an Ebenezer Ekuban penalty has kept the Broncos from perfection inside their 20-yard-line. The question as the Broncos begin their first drive of the final quarter is this — can the offense capitalize off of the second chances the defense has provided it?

9:30 P.M. CST: Not a good first answer to that question, as Mike Bell drops the potential reception on first-and-10 from the Denver 29. Stephen Alexander gets 11 yards one play later, however, and the Broncos are starting to move.

Third-quarter notes from Arrowhead Stadium …

8:50 P.M. CST: John Fogerty has cleared the field, and the Broncos and Chiefs are back for the second-half kickoff, moving from left to right on the television … The Chiefs’ paid attendance is the highest since a 1996 against the Chiefs.

8:52 P.M. CST: Champ Bailey mauled Eddie Kennison to jar the football loose after a pass right in the former Bronco’s breadbasket, but another costly Broncos penalty gives the Chiefs another chance, turning a third-and-8 into a third-and-3. Green makes the Broncos pay for Demetrin Veal’s penalty, and another Chiefs march is resuscitated by a Denver infraction.

Second-quarter notes from Arrowhead Stadium …

7:50 P.M. CST: Mike Bell cuts back for a 3-yard run to open the quarter. He had two runs for six yards in the opening period as the Chiefs outgained the Broncos 70 yards to 37.

7:53 P.M. CST: Denver with easily its most sustained drive of the night so far … but it’s only to the Broncos 46 after a 6-yard, first-and-10 pass to Kyle Johnson. Two plays later the drive falls apart after the Chiefs diagnose a fake-end around, forcing a Paul Ernster punt that dribbles downfield to the 10-yard-line.

7:12 P.M. CST: The fireworks have been shot, hazing the air about 40 feet above the Arrowhead Stadium playing surface. The Broncos win the toss, calling heads. Denver is 5-1 when winning the coin toss this year, according to media-relations graduate intern Denver Parler.

7:13 P.M. CST: Brian Clark, back in the lineup after being scratched Sunday, is two yards deep in the end zone. He fields the opening kickoff at the 5-yard-line and returns it 20 yards.

7:14 P.M. CST: Chad Mustard starts as the Broncos open in a two-tight end formation … One play later, as the Broncos plug fullback Kyle Johnson into the lineup, the Broncos try a flea-flicker, but Plummer’s pass for Stephen Alexander sails too far.

7:15 P.M. CST: Jake Plummer had Aleaxander in his sights, but the pass went behind the tight end and into the grasp of Ty Law. One play later, the Chiefs are already in field-goal range.

Tatum Bell is out.

The Broncos deactivated the tailback for a second consecutive week and third in the last four Thursday night, owing to the turf-toe injuries with which he’s grappled since a Week 7 win over Cleveland.

Cedric Cobbs is also inactive, meaning that the Broncos’ tailback compliment looks exactly as it did Sunday night against San Diego, when Mike Bell and Damien Nash split the carries as the Broncos enjoyed their best ground afternoon so far this month.

Mike Bell is officially scheduled to start tonight.

Other notable developments from the announcement of the game-night inactives:

• Brian Clark is back in the lineup. Denver deactivated the rookie last week for the first time since he was promoted to the 53-man roster in late October. Quincy Morgan, however, is once again inactive, as he has been since Week 8.
• Nate Webster is back among the inactives, while Patrick Chukwurah returns to the lineup after missing the last two weeks.
• Tony Scheffler is the only one of the Broncos’ five tight ends to be inactive for a third straight week.
• Defensive linemen Kenny Peterson and Antwon Burton are both scratched. So too is guard Chris Kuper.

Happy Thanksgiving from the press box …

The gates have opened at Arrowhead Stadium, and we are settled in for the main course of the day after the appetizers from Detroit and Dallas as the players begin to warm up. Damien Nash has shaved his head; Kenard Lang sports a new ‘do and Mike Leach, the one-time punter at the College of William and Mary, is booming a few around on the field just for pre-game kicks.

Early pre-game thoughts:

• The conditions are balmy; the temperature soared to 69 degrees this afternoon and is still 66.
• There were a few scattered fans giving the Broncos’ bus the middle finger, but most simply stuck with the thumbs-down gesture. Midwestern civility strikes again.
• If I see tonight’s play-by-play man Bryant Gumbel, should I walk up to him and say, “Hey, Bryant, loved you in Gumbel 2 Gumbel: Beach Justice?”
• The NFL Network’s pregame show is ongoing. Back in March, who would have thought that Marshall Faulk’s only on-field, televised appearance from a Missouri NFL stadium would be on the sidelines in Kansas City, rather than on the field in St. Louis?
• More to come …