After a missed field goal attempt by Kansas City, the Denver offense took over on the 24-yard line and drove down the field for its second touchdown of the game.
It began with a short Knowshon Moreno run, which was followed by a record-breaking completion by Peyton Manning. The quarterback hit tight end Virgil Green for an 11-yard first-down reception, his 385th completion of the season. That broke the record for most completions by a Broncos quarterback in a single season, previously held by Jay Cutler.
Manning then hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for 9 yards and Moreno moved the chains after that with a 2-yard carry. It was the third catch of the game for Thomas to give him 53 receiving yards.
From just shy of midfield, Manning hit wide receiver Eric Decker and tight end Joel Dreessen for two more first downs, gains of 10 and 12 yards respectively.
Moreno made it three straight first downs with a 17-yard burst to move Denver into the red zone. A play later, Manning hit Decker on an 11-yard touchdown pass, extending the Denver lead to 14-3 following the extra point conversion. Click here to see the NFL Network highlight of Decker’s touchdown.
The 9-play drive covered 76 yards and took up 4:00.
Manning is now 12-of-14 on the day for 166 yards and a touchdown, good for a passer rating of 139.9.
With his 35th touchdown pass of the season, he is one of eight quarterbacks in NFL history to reach that mark multiple times.
Decker’s touchdown was his 12th of the year. His 20 touchdowns in 2011-12 are the most ever by a Broncos receiver in a two-year span.