BY TRISTAN SASSE
Monday Night Football from Arrowhead Stadium is always a nightmare for incoming opponents. Already the home of the loudest stadium in the world, Kansas City (5-2) was looking to give their division rival Denver Broncos (3-3) a rude awakening Monday night in an AFC West showdown. The Chiefs and Broncos were both looking for an answer after each team failed to win the past two weeks. At the end of the night, Kansas City ended their losing streak with a 29-19 victory — their fourth in a row against the Broncos.
Travis Kelce had a huge game with seven receptions, 133 receiving yards, and a touchdown for the Chiefs. Kelce has over 100 receiving yards in three straight games against the Broncos. Kareem Hunt was held in check for the first time all season Monday night. Hunt had 46 yards on 22 carries. After Monday, Hunt still leads the NFL in rushing yards with 763 yards. Lastly, Alex Smith continued to guide Kansas City with 202 passing yards. Through eight weeks, Smith has 16 touchdown passes and has thrown no interceptions.
On defense, Justin Houston had two sacks and Marcus Peters forced two turnovers (1 fumble recovery and 1 interception). Rookie kicker Harrison Butker connected on five field goals for Kansas City.
The Broncos accounted for 364 total yards but had five crucial turnovers. Trevor Siemian completed 19 of 36 passes for a total of 198 yards and a touchdown, but also threw three interceptions. C.J. Anderson led the Broncos rushing attack with 15 carries for 78 yards. The Chiefs also held Von Miller in check, as he only had three tackles on Monday night.
Monday night also featured the return of Jamaal Charles to Arrowhead; however, his night got off to a rocky start. Charles fumbled on the Broncos’ second drive of the game. Peters scooped up the ball and took it 45-yards for a score. The Chiefs capitalized on a quick scoring drive on their next possession where Smith connected with Kelce on a 29-yard touchdown pass to give Kansas City a 14 point lead. Siemian threw an interception to Peters on the Broncos’ next drive, and Kansas City took over in Denver territory. The Chiefs had a chance to take a three-score lead late in the first quarter, but Tyreek Hill threw an interception to Darian Stewart in the red zone on an attempted trick play.
The Broncos made their mark on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Brandon McManus drilled a 27-yard field goal. Minutes later, the rookie Butker answered for the Chiefs with a 25-yard field goal of his own. Ron Parker forced Denver’s third turnover with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. The Broncos defense responded soon after and forced Smith to fumble near the end of the first half. Kansas City entered Monday with only one turnover in the first seven weeks. They had two turnovers in the first half on Monday.
On the Broncos’ final chance of the half, Houston picked up his second sack of the night and Kansas City went into the locker room with a 17-3 lead.
The Chiefs and Broncos combined for five turnovers in the first half (3 by Denver, 2 by Kansas City). Kansas City had 199 yards of offense and 13 first downs in the opening half, while Denver’s offense struggled with 108 yards and five first downs.
Butker continued his dominant rookie season at the start of the second half, by connecting on a 32-yard field goal. McManus answered soon after, with a 34-yard field goal of his own. Devontae Booker later finished a 10 play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard rushing touchdown. Kansas City went into the fourth quarter leading 20-13.
Butker gave the Chiefs a two-possession lead early in the fourth quarter with his third field goal on the night, this time from 43-yards with 12:30 left. After Denver turned the ball over on downs, Kansas City marched down the field once again. Butker drilled a 51-yard field goal and gave the Chiefs a 26-13 lead with just over seven minutes remaining. The field goal marked Butker’s 17th straight successful field goal. On the ensuing drive, Kenneth Acker came away with Kansas City’s third interception on the night and Kansas City was threatening yet again. Butker added his third field goal of the quarter, and fifth on the night, with under five minutes remaining. A.J. Derby hauled in a touchdown for Denver in the final minutes, but Kansas City prevailed 29-19.
The Chiefs only had three first downs in the second half, but strong field position guided Kansas City to the win and a 6-2 start. Kansas City is now tied atop the AFC standings with Pittsburgh and New England. With the win, the Chiefs are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Broncos, and take a commanding 3-game lead over Los Angeles and Oakland in the AFC West. Denver falls to 3-4 and moves into a three-way tie for ninth in the AFC.
Looking ahead, the Broncos will have no easy task next week when they travel to Philadelphia to play the 7-1 Eagles. Kansas City will head to Dallas to face the 4-3 Cowboys.