Q3 15:00 Matt Prater kicks off to start the second half, with Javier Arenas back deep to receive. He takes a knee and the Chiefs will start at their own 20-yard line.
Q3 14:56 Jason Hunter streaks into the backfield and nearly sacks Matt Cassel on first down, but the receiver gets the ball away and it falls incomplete. Jamaal Charles takes a carry on second down to pick up 5 yards. On third-and-5, Cassel fires to Terrance Copper, but the pass falls incomplete to bring up fourth down. Dustin Colquitt is in to punt for the Chiefs with Eddie Royal at about his own 25-yard line to receive. He fields it at the 30 and picks up about 10 yards to the 40-yard line, where the Broncos will take over.
Q3 14:09 Kyle Orton fakes a handoff before firing a pass for Brandon Lloyd, but the ball hits the ground for an incompletion on first down. Second-and-10 brings a handoff to Knowshon Moreno, who picks up 4 yards. On third-and-6 at the 44-yard line, Orton is in the shotgun. He dumps off a quick screen pass to Moreno, who follows his blockers up the sideline, including Ryan Harris and Chris Kuper, for a 23-yard gain to the Kansas City 33-yard line. Lance Ball takes a carry on the ensuing first down, picking up 3 yards.
Q3 12:19 Orton finds Lloyd for another first down on the next play, and the receiver jogs back to the huddle after playing to the crowd. Moreno takes the first-down carry at the 21-yard line and picks up 3 yards. On second down, Orton tries to find Thomas but the quick pass falls incomplete. That makes it third-and-7 at the 18-yard line, and Orton is in the shotgun. He gets the ball to Royal, who follows his blockers to the 6-yard line, setting up first-and-goal. Moreno takes a carry on the next play, picking up 3 more yards. Now Tim Tebow is back in at quarterback.
Q3 9:30 Tebow takes the snap in the shotgun, sprinting to his right before stopping and lofting a pass to Spencer Larsen, who dives into the end zone for a touchdown. That’s Larsen’s first NFL touchdown, and Tebow’s first passing touchdown. Prater’s extra point is up and in, and there goes that vuvuzela again.
BRONCOS 42, CHIEFS 10
Q3 9:24: Eric Decker is there for a big special teams stop on the ensuing kickoff, taking down Arenas at the 16-yard line. The Kansas City offense is back on the field, and the first-down play is an incomplete pass that is nearly intercepted by Champ Bailey. On second down, Cassel finds a wide-open Charles, who is hit hard by Brian Dawkins — the safety’s helmet flew off — after a 16-yard gain.
Q3 8:31: Cassel throws an incomplete pass on first down, and follows that up with a quick completion to Dwayne Bowe about a yard-and-a-half short of the first down. On third-and-2, Charles is stopped by a group of Broncos but the refs rule he made it to the marker. The ensuing first down brings another first down pass to Dwayne Bowe at the Denver 44-yard line.
Q3 6:55: After an incompletion, Cassel finds a wide-open Thomas Jones, who runs up the sideline for another first down at the Denver 25-yard line. The ensuing play is a deep completion to Dwayne Bowe, who is hammered by Champ Bailey at the 2-yard line, jarring the ball loose. Bowe seems to reach out and pull the ball back, however. Head Coach Josh McDaniels is challenging that it was a catch in the first place, or whether the ball came loose before Bowe had possession.
Q3 6:12: The play is ruled a completion, fumble and recovery by Bowe. Denver is charged with its first timeout of the half, and it’s first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. The crowd is on its feet as Mario Haggan stops Thomas Jones short of the goal line. Now it’s second-and-goal, and Kansas City calls its first timeout of the half.
Q3 5:44: My apologies, it wasn’t a Kansas City timeout — it was an injury timeout, as Renaldo Hill is helped to the sideline by trainers. As for the play on the field, the Chiefs are stopped short of the goal line yet again, making it third-and-goal. The crowd is stomping its feet as Cassel tries to quickly throw Champ Bailey’s way — but the cornerback was having none of it, making it fourth down after the incompletion. The defense makes the stop — led by Justin Bannan — and the Broncos sideline is going nuts after four stops within a yard of the end zone. There’s a flag on the play however — illegal shift on the Chiefs, which is declined. Denver takes over inside its own 1-yard line.
Q3 4:37: On first down, Orton launches a pass down the sideline intended for Lloyd, but the pass falls incomplete. On second-and-10, Moreno takes a carry and picks up 7 yards to give the offense a little breathing room. On third-and-3, Orton tries to find Lloyd, but the pass is broken up by Derrick Johnson. Britton Colquitt is in for his first punt of the afternoon, and he kicks a 46-yarder, which is returned 16 yards by Javier Arenas to the Denver 38-yard line.
*INJURY UPDATE* Renaldo Hill has a neck injury and is questionable to return.
Q3 3:23: Charles is stopped for a loss of a yard on first down, then Cassel throws a pass deep down the sideline, but Perrish Cox is in tight coverage and the ball sails out of bounds. Now third-and-11, Cassel finds a wide open Charles, who avoids tacklers down the sideline for a first down at the 15-yard line. The ensuing first down brings a pass from Cassel to Bowe for a touchdown. Ryan Succop is in to attempt the point after, and it’s good.
BRONCOS 42, CHIEFS 17
Q3 2:15: Demaryius Thomas fields the kickoff and sprints behind his blockers for a 38-yard return, and the Denver offense will start at its own 34-yard line. Moreno takes a handoff on first down, and the back gets near the first-down marker after a 9-yard gain. He’s stopped for no gain on the next play, bringing up third-and-1. Spencer Larsen is jacked up and so is the crowd after the fullback takes a third-down carry, avoiding tacklers and crashing through another for a 14-yard gain into Chiefs territory. The final play of the third quarter is a run by Moreno for a gain of 4 to the 39-yard line.
Q4 15:00: On second-and-6, Orton hands off to Moreno, who picks up 2 yards, bringing his total for the day to 99 yards on the ground. On third-and-4, Orton finds Lloyd for another first down. Moreno loses 5 yards on the ensuing first down, making it second-and-15 at the 32-yard line. Orton promptly finds Demaryius Thomas for a 16-yard gain and a first down. Tim Tebow is in under center. He drops back into the shotgun and tries to find running room, but is tackled at the line of scrimmage. He picks up a yard. On second-and-9, Orton is back in at quarterback and finds Lloyd for a completion in the end zone — but the receiver was just out of bounds. McDaniels throws the challenge flag, however.
Q4 11:47: After the review, it’s ruled that Lloyd had both feet in bounds and maintained possession for his second touchdown of the game. Prater’s extra point is good. Orton’s four touchdown passes today are a new career-high.
BRONCOS 49, CHIEFS 17
Q4 11:41: After bobbling the kickoff, Verran Tucker notches an 18-yard return to the 17-yard line, where the Chiefs will take over. On first down, Cassel launches a pass downfield for Charles, but D.J. Williams was with him step-for-step and the pass falls incompletion. On second down, Syd’Quan Thompson blitzes from his cornerback position, but Cassel goes to the man he was guarding, Terrance Copper, for a quick first down. On the ensuing play, Cassel has a lot of time in the pocket and he completes a pass into Broncos territory to Bowe. The Broncos defense is giving a lot of new players some extra time. Jarvis Moss, Marcus Thomas, Thompson, Darcel McBath, and Ryan McBean are some of the non-starters in the game for this drive.
Q4 9:47: A 14-yard reception by Bowe — his 11th of the game — gives the Chiefs a first down at the Denver 32-yard line. After an incompletion, Charles picks up 6 yards on a run to set up third-and-4. He takes another carry on third down, but he’s pushed out of bounds short of the marker. On fourth-and-2 at the 24-yard line, the Kansas City offense is still on the field. Cassel lines up in the shotgun before handing off to Jackie Battle, who barrels his way for the first down. Darcel McBath nearly picks off Cassel’s pass on the ensuing play. On second down, Cassel completes a pass to Chris Chambers for another first down at the 9-yard line. First down brings a quick pass to Copper, who is tackled after a 3-yard gain. Second down brings an incompletion, and it’s third-and-goal at the 6-yard line. Kansas City calls its first timeout of the second half.
Q4 7:05: On third-and-goal, the crowd is on its feet. Cassel throws a pass that is tipped at the line by a leaping Brian Dawkins, setting up fourth-and-goal at the 6. The crowd is even louder — and that vuvuzela is at it again — but there’s a flag before the snap for delay of game on the Chiefs. That makes it fourth-and-goal at the 11. Cassel’s pass is complete to Chambers for a touchdown, and there’s a flag on the play — pass interference on Champ Bailey. It’s declined, and the Chiefs have a touchdown. The Chiefs are going for a two-point conversion. A frustrated Bailey is right there to put an end to those hopes, breaking up Cassel’s pass in the back of the end zone. He walks off the field with his helmet off, and tosses it under the bench before heading to the sideline to watch his teammates on special teams. Pretty refreshing to see a guy care that much about giving up the late touchdown with his team still up by 26.
BRONCOS 49, CHIEFS 23
Q4 6:54: The Chiefs go for an onside kick and recover it, but after some deliberation, the refs rule that Kansas City was lined up illegally, and the Chiefs are forced to re-kick after a 5-yard penalty. On the retry, Succop drills Jabar Gaffney with the ball, and David Bruton falls on it to retain possession for the Broncos. On the ensuing first down at the Kansas City 42-yard line, Moreno picks up 2 yards. On second-and-8, the running back picks up 4 more yards, giving him the first 100-yard rushing game of his NFL career. Third down brings an incomplete pass from Orton to Daniel Graham, so Britton Colquitt is in to punt. The Broncos special teams unit nearly fields the punt at the 1-yard line, but the refs rule that a foot was in the end zone, so the Chiefs have a touchback and will start at their own 20-yard line.
Q4 5:11: After an incompletion and a 23-yard catch-and-run by Charles, the Chiefs have a first-and-10 at their own 43-yard line. But two offensive holding penalties later makes it first-and-30 at the 23-yard line. Charles picks up 12 yards on a first-down reception, and Cassel finds Bowe for no gain — Bailey forced him out of bounds — on second down. That makes it third-and-18 at the 35-yard line. Cassel is forced out of the pocket and scrambles out of bounds after a 3-yard gain. Before the fourth-and-15 play, Kansas City calls its second timeout of the half.
Q4 3:38: Cassel’s fourth-down pass is deep to Chris Chambers and way over his head — but there’s a flag on the play. It’s pass interference on Chambers, which is declined, and the Broncos take over on their own 38-yard line. Moreno picks up 4 yards on first down, and picks up another yard on second down. Third-and-5 brings another run to keep the clock running, and Moreno is stopped at the line of scrimmage — a gain of 1. That brings the game to the two-minute warning.
Q4 2:00: Facing fourth-and-4 at the 32-yard line, rather than punt on such a short field or attempt a long field goal, the Broncos offense is still on the field. Orton dumps off a quick pass to Correll Buckhalter, who is forced out of bounds short of the first down. The Chiefs take over on their own 31-yard line with 1:55 remaining.
Q4 1:55: Leonard Pope is brought down by Kyle McCarthy on first down after an 8-yard gain. On second down, Cassel completes a pass to Copper, and the receiver is brought down by McCarthy and Syd’Quan Thompson. Cassel rips off a 20-yard completion to Copper on the ensuing play, and the Chiefs have a first down at the Denver 35-yard line. After an incompletion, Cassel finds Pope for another first down at the 22-yard line. He ran out of bounds with 15 seconds remaining in the game. The ensuing play is a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to Bowe — the pair’s second scoring connection of the evening. The Chiefs attempt a two-point conversion, but a false start penalty pushes the ball back 5 yards. Cassel tries to find Bowe in the end zone again, but the attempt is unsuccessful, and Kansas City trails by 20 with 10 seconds remaining.
BRONCOS 49, CHIEFS 29
Q4 0:10: After the Chiefs’ kickoff bounced out of bounds, the Broncos take over at their own 40-yard line. Kyle Orton takes a knee to seal the victory and move the Broncos to 3-6 on the season. Next up is another AFC West showdown, this one on Monday Night Football against the San Diego Chargers.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
BeastFromEast92 no hard feelings at all. We all are family! Sometimes family help us to look at things from another point of view when we are hyped up about another.
Yeah Yovi21 I agree that we need more of the same effort next week. Looking back at everything. Cassel did target Bowe a whole lot, kind of like Orton did Gaffney last year when they whipped our tail. So I jumped the gun big time!