VS 
What a great Sunday. There are few things in life I enjoy more than laying the wood to a division rival in their house, and Denver is 3-0 in that department this season after dismantling Kansas City by a final score of 44-13. The game wasn’t even that close, Denver played pretty sloppy overall and could have dropped 60 on the lowly Chiefs pretty easily had they played a total game. Here are some things I saw…
Positives
The running game was out of this world good. Yes, it is against the Chiefs, but still…anytime you gain 245 yards rushing on an NFL team and average over 5 yards a run…you are doing something right. The running game very directly setup the passing game which had to simply be efficient.
The defense was outstanding. They held the Chiefs to 222 yards total, and only 94 on the ground. Aside from a late-game touchdown the Chiefs really had nothing going. As a matter of fact, where it not for some silly turnovers they may not have scored 13.
Matt Prater. I have to hand it to him and eat some crow, I did not think he was the answer but he is clearly having a great season. He was 3/3 yesterday hitting field goals from 44, 38 and 37 yards. if he stays consistent like this and continues to boom kicks for touchbacks, it is a real win for the team.
Negatives
Turnovers were my number one concern going into the game, and unfortunately were one of their issues. Actually, it was probably their major issue and the only thing that kept this game from being a complete rout. An interception in the red zone and 2 fumbles lost just cannot happen against a team not in Kansas City if Denver expects to win. Denver was even on the turnover margin (each team had 3) for the game, but it is still a concern.
I am not sure if he was having an off day or what, but Ryan Clady was not playing well in pass protection and Denver paid for it. To be fair, it was not just Clady but he was most noticeable as he is normally so reliable. Tamba Hali went off for 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 9 tackles overall.
Kyle Orton played well enough to win, but all 3 turnovers were his fault in my opinion. The interception was clearly on him and the fumbles, while debatable, are also. Yes, had the blocking been better he would not have fumbled. With that, he has to have a better pocket presence to feel the rush coming and avoid those types of turnovers.
Injuries
Ryan Harris made his return, and pretty shortly after he went out again with a foot injury. I somewhat feel like he shouldn’t have played at all to be honest. We will need him more against teams that aren’t the bottom feeders of the league and possibly the playoffs.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
Denver has to tighten some things up before traveling to Indianapolis to face an undefeated Colts team that is looking to lock up things in the AFC with one more win.
I really like that Denver kept their foot to the gas against a team they should beat. This stretch (handling New York and Kansas City) reminds me of the beginning of the season and Denver will need that fire in the remaining games.
With a Pittsburgh loss to the Raiders (HAHAHAHAHAHA), Denver is in good shape at the moment for the wild card spot. I don’t root for the Packers often, but I am tonight to keep the Ravens out of the picture for one more week at least.
It was nice to see Peyton Hillis in the game during garbage time. Playing time is playing time. I will be curious to see that situation develop after the season is over.
Player(s) of the Game
Offensively: Correll Buckhalter. I know he did not score, but anytime you average over 10 yards a carry…you are the offensive player of the game in my book. He finished with 113 yards on 12 carries including 3 catches for 15 yards. He very nearly broke one off for what would have been 70+ yards as well. There are several honorable mentions here as well including Knowshon Moreno (21 carries, 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground) and Brandon Marshall (7 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown, 1 rush for 2 yards).
Defensively: Andre Goodman. He only had 3 tackles but he also provided 2 huge plays for the Broncos. He had an interception, but also recovered a fumble and took it in for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Coming up Next Week
Denver continues their road trip by visiting the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. This is a pretty big game for both teams and the Colts have owned the Broncos for several years. Stay tuned later in the week for my preview.
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