The Denver Broncos squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs in a primetime Christmas matchup. It was a fast-paced game that had football fans on the edge of their seats. It wasn’t pretty and a lot closer than it should have been. Nevertheless, the Broncos were able to topple the Chiefs at Arrowhead to secure win 13 on the season. Let’s get into some instant reactions from today’s game.
The Broncos’ offense controlled the clock and the pace of the game.
The Broncos didn’t look great on offense last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They desperately needed to start things off on the right foot in tonight’s matchup versus the Chiefs. The first drive of the game took eight minutes off the clock. A 15-play, 52-yard drive was capped off by a 27-yard Wil Lutz field goal to give Denver the early lead.
Sadly, their second drive was an absolute disaster. Bo Nix missed Marvin Mims out left with a bad throw, made the wrong read on second down with an RPO, and had his third down pass intended for Lil’ Jordan Humphrey batted away and picked off by Nick Bolton which led to a touchdown for the Chiefs.
Denver’s third drive wasn’t much better resulting in a punt after just 7 plays and 14 yards. Prior to the end of the half, the Broncos were moving the ball quite well. A 17-play, 84-yard drive looked like it would result in a touchdown. However, multiple drops by Courtland Sutton in the red zone prompting them to settle for another Lutz field goal.
The Broncos only amassed 151 yards of total offense in the first half. They had 10 first downs and had possession for almost 20 minutes of play yet found themselves down 7-6 at the half. That’s what happens with a myriad of drops and a turnover.
Denver’s first drive of the second half was another lengthy one. After marching 82 yards down the field on 18 plays, Nix was able to scramble for 9 yards to give the Broncos the lead, and it took 10 minutes off the clock. With a tie ball game at 13-13 in the fourth quarter, the offense once again had a tone-setting drive that melted minutes off the scoreboard. A gargantuan 20-play, 60-yard drive ended with a Nix pass to RJ Harvey for a touchdown. The subsequent extra point gave Denver a 20-13 lead. And that’s what made the difference in the game.
The Broncos’ offensive game plan had a lot of short passes. Luke Wattenberg being out probably had a lot to do with that. Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a lot of interior blitzes and pressure that was tough to handle early on. That rattled third-year player Alex Forsyth and caused problems for both Ben Powers and Alex Palczewski who rotated left guard. Nix was often flushed out of the pocket and had little success or consistency throwing on the move.
Thankfully, things got a lot better in the second half protecting Nix. I like the fact that Denver stayed committed to the run and had 31 carries for 129 yards. That’s just a little over 4 yards per carry, but that certainly helped alleviate some pressure off of Nix. They will need to continue that success on the ground in Week 18 with the #1 seed and AFC West title up for grabs.
A well-rested defense limits Chris Oladokun and the Chiefs offense.
The Broncos ran a lot of plays on offense. They dominated the clock and almost every offensive measurement you could think of. With three drives over eight minutes, the defense had the luxury of being well-rested on the road.
While Vance Joseph’s crew was put at a disadvantage with Nix’s first half interception and some poor special teams play, they did enough to get the job done. Third string quarterback Chris Oladokun didn’t do much. He was 13-of-22 for 66 yards and 1 touchdown. The Chiefs had less than 150 yards of total offense.
Knowing that, it’s pretty crazy that the game was even this close. Next week, they will face a much better quarterback in Justin Herbert. And guess what? That will be a huge challenge for the defense. Hopefully they can rise to the occasion and do a much better job dialing up the heat and creating pressure.
Bill Vinovich and the refs? Yikes!
You all know I’m not a fan of complaining about the refs and rarely do so in these articles. However, I thought Bill Vinovich and his crew had some suspect calls tonight.
The pass interference called on Patrick Surtain II against Xavier Worthy on an uncatchable pass. What was that? Evan Engram’s offensive pass interference in the third quarter. He certainly didn’t push off. Ben Powers phantom false start earlier on in the game. What are they penalizing him for—breathing? Those three stick out in my mind as horrendous calls.
The Chiefs weren’t penalized once through three quarters. Their first penalty—an absolute game-changer—going offsides on 4th and 2 with two minutes to go in the game. I’m surprised Head Coach Sean Payton opted to draw up that play, but it wound up working. For whatever its worth, I felt the Chiefs got away with a lot of holding calls on the final drive of the game.
The AFC West Title and #1 Seed are within reach.
Ugly wins are still wins. I’ve said that a few times this season. Tonight is no exception. Had the Broncos lost, their chances of getting a first-round bye and homefield advantage would have plummeted. They can win the west if the Houston Texans can beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. If that doesn’t happen, Denver will have to take care of business in Week 18.
Next week’s game against the Chargers looms large regardless of Sunday. If Denver can win, the #1 seed is theirs as is the AFC West if the Texans falter this weekend. While Broncos fans are certainly happy with the gift of victory tonight on Christmas, a highlight victory over Los Angeles next weekend would be one of the biggest and brightest moments for the franchise since winning Super Bowl 50.
