COIN TOSS: Kansas City called heads, however, coin fell to tails. The Broncos won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

PLAYOFF UPDATE: The AFC Wild Card picture is starting to clear up. The Texans just pulled out a 34-27 come-from-behind victory over New England, meaning a Broncos win combined with a Baltimore loss or New York Jets loss means Denver would clinch a playoff berth. But that is just one scenario that would earn the Broncos a spot in the postseason.

Q1 13:10: Moreno came up short on 3rd-and-1 and Berger is back to punt the ball away for the Broncos. Bobby Wade signaled for a fair catch on the return. The Chiefs were called for a holding penalty on the play and will start at their own 14. By the way, it has started to lightly snow at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

Q1 15:00: Correll Buckhalter downed Ryan Succop’s kickoff in the end zone and the Broncos will start at the 20.

Q1 13:33: Orton fired out of shotgun on first down and connected with Brandon Lloyd for a 9-yard gain. Buckhalter started in the backfield with Orton, and the receivers were Lloyd, Willis, Stokley and Gaffney. Upfront, Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Casey Wiegman, Chris Kuper and Tyler Polumbus. Kansas City just used a timeout before a 3rd-and-1 attempt for the Broncos.

Q1 13:10: Moreno came up short on 3rd-and-1 and Berger is back to punt the ball away for the Broncos. Bobby Wade signaled for a fair catch on the return. The Chiefs were called for a holding penalty on the play and will start at their own 14. By the way, it has started to lightly snow at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

Q1 12:32: Matt Cassel went deep to Terrance Copper on first down, connecting with the wideout for a 50-yard gain down to the Denver 36-yard line.

Q1 11:17: On the very next play, Cassel fired complete to Leonard Pope to the Denver 7-yard line. After a completion to Dwayne Bowe brought KC down to the Denver 1-yard line, fullback Mike Cox found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown.

CHIEFS 7, BRONCOS 0

Q1 11:11: Buckhalter took Succop’s kickoff 4-yards deep into the end zone and returned it out to the Kansas City 16-yard line.

Q1 11:00: On first down, Orton was sacked for a loss of a yard by Glenn Dorsey. Operating out of the shotgun on second down, Orton had five receiving targets to work with. He found Jabar Gaffney for a 14-yard gain to move the chains.

Q1 9:42: After Buckhalter gained one yard on first down, Orton threw incomplete on second down. Facing a 3rd and 9 from the Denver 30, Orton found a tight hole in Kansas City’s pass coverage and completed another pass to Gaffney for a first down — picking up 11 yards to the Denver 41.

Q1 8:03: Orton continues to work efficiently out of the shotgun. He connected with Gaffney across the middle for a gain of seven on first down. On second down, Lloyd couldn’t snag a reception, bringing up 3rd and 3 from the Denver 48. Orton threw low for Gaffney on that play, forcing Berger back onto the field for a punt attempt.

Q1 7:52: Approaching the goal line, rookie David Bruton made a nice play to down Berger’s 51-yard punt at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

PLAYOFF UPDATE*: Looks like there is only one scenario right now for Broncos fans to be aware of as far as the AFC Wild Card picture. A Broncos win combined with a loss by either the Ravens or the Jets gets Denver into the playoffs.

Q1 7:45: Operating out of his end zone, Cassel went play-action — firing deep to Chris Chambers. Chambers was called for offensive pass interference on the play, but the Broncos declined the penalty.

Q1 7:00: After Cassel connected with Copper for an 8-yard gain, the Chiefs faced a 3rd and 2 at their own 9-yard line. Cassel fumbled the snap on that play, but the Chiefs recovered and Dustin Colquitt is on to punt.

Q1 6:28: Alphonso Smith fielded Colquitt’s 54-yard punt at the Denver 40, before returning the ball 7-yards to the Denver 47-yard line.

PLAYOFF UPDATE** Just to clarify — a Denver win plus either a Ravens OR Jets loss is the ONLY scenario that gets the Broncos into the playoffs.

Q1 5:45: Orton went play-action on first down, firing to an open Daniel Graham. Graham couldn’t hold on to the pass, though. On 2nd and 10, Knowshon Moreno gained 4-yards, bringing up 3rd and 6 from the Kansas City 49. On that third down play, Gaffney couldn’t snag the reception, and Berger is on to punt once again.

Q1 5:33: Berger with another great punt. This time he was credited with a 39-yard punt. The veteran punter put some nice backspin on the ball and Spencer Larsen downed the attempt at the Kansas City 11-yard line.

Q1 5:00: Cassel continues to come out of the gate firing. Pressured on first down, he threw incomplete of Tim Castille. On second down, Jamaal Charles gained three yards, bringing up 3rd and 7.

Q1 4:00: On that third down attempt, Charles showed his explosiveness — weaving through the Denver defense for a 52-yard run, and bringing Kansas City down to the Denver 35.

Q1 3:16: The Chiefs just tried some trickery and it didn’t workout in their favor. On a trick play, Castille tried to throw a deep pass to Cassel, but Andre’ Goodman wasn’t fooled — interception the ball at the Denver 5. That is where the Broncos offensive unit will set up shop.

Q1 2:40 After a 5-yard run by Moreno, Orton threw incomplete to Buckhalter bringing up 3rd and 5. On that play, he connected with Gaffney right at the first down marker — helping the Broncos move the chains.

Q1 1:30 On first down from the Denver 16, Moreno picked up 18 yards — showing his toughness by fighting for extra yards as Kansas City defenders tried to bring him to the ground.

Q1 1:28 Moreno picked up 2-yards on the next play. An injury timeout was called as Chiefs safety Jon McGraw was shaken up on the play.

Q1 0:10 Orton operates out of shotgun following the timeout, and — in a five wide set — connects with Gaffney for a 21-yard reception. On the very next play, Orton connects with Moreno on a screen pass. The rookie back sprints downfield for a gain of 20 yards — bringing the ball to the Kansas City 23-yard line.

Q1 0:00 Ben Hamilton was called for a holding penalty on the final play of the first quarter. Thus, the Broncos will have the ball at the Kansas City 33-yard line to start the second quarter.

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER: CHIEFS 7, BRONCOS 0

Q2 14:52 On the first play of the second quarter, Orton takes his time in the pocket and then fires to Gaffney in the end zone. On the play, Brandon Carr was called for defensive pass interference, putting the ball at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

Q2 14:10 On 1st and goal, Moreno was met by a host of Kansas City defenders and taken down for no gain. On 2nd and goal, Orton fired to the back of the end zone to Graham, but the veteran tight end couldn’t snag the reception.

Q2 14:07 On 3rd and goal, the Broncos went back to Moreno. The rookie running back found a small hole along the right side of the offensive line to score the touchdown. Matt Prater added the extra point to tie the game.

BRONCOS 7, CHIEFS 7

Q2 14:00 Prater’s first kickoff attempt of the game sails to the 1-yard line. Quinten Lawrence takes the ball there, rushing up field to his right for a 29-yard gain before being forced out of bounds by Prater.

Q2 13:00 Out of the shotgun, Cassel hands off to Charles on first down, who is brought down after a gain of one by Elvis Dumervil. On second down, the Chiefs again call Charles’ number. The shifty back gains 9-yards to pick up a first down before being brought down by Renaldo Hill and D.J. Williams.

Q2 12:23 Cassel completes a 17-yard pass to Chambers, bringing the ball to the Denver 43-yard line. Following the play, Marcus Thomas walked to the sideline with team trainers at his side.

Q2 11:58 After the stoppage of play, Cassel threw complete to Charles. On the play, Chambers and Bobby Wade were both called for offensive pass interference while blocking downfield. The ball will be placed at the Kansas City 47.

Q2 11:43 After Cassel threw incomplete on first and second down, Kansas City faced 3rd and 20 from the 49. Cassel escaped pressure on the play, but with no one open downfield, he was forced to throw the ball out of bounds.

Q2 11:34 Colquitt came on to punt on fourth down, and Alphonso Smith signaled for a fair catch on the return. Thus, the Broncos will take over at their own 14-yard line.

Q2 11:15 On first down, Orton wasted little time trying to move the ball downfield. The signal caller connected once again with Gaffney, this time for a gain of 29 yards. The ball is at the Denver 43.

Q2 10:28 After Buckhalter picked up 6-yards on first down, Orton eluded pressure, but couldn’t connect with Gaffney — setting up 3rd and 4 from the Denver 49-yard line.

Q2 10:06 On that 3rd and 4 attempt, Orton once again eluded pressure — multiple times, in fact — before throwing the ball out of bounds. Berger notched a punt near the goal line, however, the Broncos couldn’t keep the ball out of the end zone and the play resulted in a touchback.

Q2 9:00 Charles rushed to his left for a gain of five on first down, then Cassel threw a quick pass to Chambers on second down to bring up 3rd and 1.

Q2 8:04 On that third down play, Charles burst his way to the left for a 33-yard rush. Renaldo Hill was called for a 15-yard personal foul face mask penalty on the play, bringing the ball to the Denver 23-yard line. By the way, Marcus Thomas is back on the field after he was shaken up earlier in the contest.

Q2 7:04: After back-to-back rushes by the Chiefs brought up a 3rd and 1 attempt from the Denver 14-yard line, Cassel connected with Chambers for a first down at the Denver 2-yard line.

Q2 6:29: On 1st and goal, the Chiefs were called for illegal formation for having six men on the line of scrimmage. That will back Kansas City up to the Denver 7-yard line.

Q2 6:00: Following the penalty, Cassel handed the ball to Castille for a 2-yard gain. On second down, he threw a quick screen pass to Charles, who picked up 3-yards down to the Denver 2.

Q2 5:07: On 3rd and goal from the 2-yard line, Cassel fired to Chambers, but Goodman was all over the play, breaking up the pass attempt and forcing a Kansas City field goal attempt.

Q2 5:03: At the end of a 10-play drive — which elapsed five minutes and three seconds — Succop notched a 20-yard field goal on 4th and goal, giving the Chiefs a three-point lead.

CHIEFS 10, BRONCOS 7

Q2 4:57: Taking the ball 5-yards deep from the end zone, Peyton Hillis returns Succop’s kickoff to the Denver 19-yard line.

Q2 4:05: Orton goes play-action on first down, connecting with Gaffney — who makes a spectacular one-handed catch to bring Denver to the 45-yard line with a 26-yard reception.

Q2 3:10: Following a 1-yard rush by Moreno, Orton throws incomplete to Lloyd — bringing up 3rd and 9 from the Denver 46-yard line. On that play, Orton — operating out of shotgun — once again connects with his favorite target on the day, Gaffney, to move the chains. The 18-yard reception moves the ball to the Kansas City 36-yard line.

Q2 2:32: Moreno rushes for a first down on the next play, picking up 11 yards to place the ball at the Kansas City 25-yard line.

Q2 2:00: On the final play before the two-minute warning, Moreno rushes up the middle for 2-yards. The Broncos will face 2nd and 8 from the Kansas City 23-yard line when we resume play here at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

Q2 1:22: In a four-wide receiver set, Gaffney hooks up with Gaffney for a 10-yard gain, moving the chains and bringing the ball to the Kansas City 13-yard line.

Q2 0:37: After Gaffney made his 10th reception of the half at the Kansas City 10-yard line, Orton found Brandon Stokley for a gain of three. The Broncos have called a timeout. When play resumes they will face a 3rd and 4 attempt at the Kansas City 7-yard line.

Q2 0:31: Operating out of shotgun, Orton avoids pressure. Scrambling to his right, he can’t connect with his intended target, Stokley. On fourth down, Prater drills a 25-yard field goal to tie the game.

BRONCOS 10, CHIEFS 10

Q2 0:27: Prater booms his kickoff attempt out of the back of the end zone and the Chiefs will start their offensive possession at their own 20-yard line.

Q2 0:00: The Chiefs elect to run the clock out to end the first half. Charles rushes for 4-yards on the final play of the half, as both teams head to the locker room with the game tied at 10-10. By the way, the Ravens lead the Raiders 14-10 with 12 seconds remaining in the first half out in Oakland.

END OF FIRST HALF: BRONCOS 10, CHIEFS 10

Tags: Week 17

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