Chiefs hammer the Broncos, make statement

The streak is finally over. The Kansas City Chiefs absolutely thrashed the Denver Broncos on Sunday night at Sports Authority Field, winning 29-13. Kansas City was dominant to the point that future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was benched in the third quarter for Brock Osweiler.

Manning was absolutely rocked all day, hitting on 5-of-20 throws for 35 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. Osweiler came in and was not able to get much going, throwing another pick, this time to Eric Berry. The four picks from Manning went to Ron Parker, Josh Mauga, Marcus Peters and Sean Smith.

Kansas City did not have a great day offensively, but it didn’t need it. Alex Smith was mediocre throughout the afternoon, completing 17-of-31 throws for 204 yards and a touchdown. Smith was bad most of the game, but his stats were pumped up by an 80-yard touchdown pass to Charcandrick West in the fourth quarter. West finished his day with 161 total yards and a pair of scores.

The defense was utterly dominant. While Manning was in the game, Denver was only able to gain 49 total yards. It was a tremendous performance, and perhaps one that spearheads this team going into the second half of the season. Justin Houston notched two sacks, while Jaye Howard, Mike DeVito and Derrick Johnson each added one. On special teams, Cairo Santos hit five field goals.

At 4-5, the Chiefs are suddenly alive and fairly well in the AFC playoff race. Kansas City is tied with the Oakland Raiders for second place in the AFC West, technically pulling ahead of them based on conference record. The Chiefs are only one game out of the sixth seed, trailing the Buffalo Bills, who they play at Arrowhead Stadium in two weeks.

It’s a time to party, Kansas City. The Broncos look like garbage, and the Chiefs are beginning to roll.