Mile High Monday: Denver Broncos Down The Chiefs

November 25, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) hands off to running back Knowshon Moreno (27) in the second half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Peyton Manning has changed a lot of things for the Denver Broncos since he joined the team, so it’s not a surprise he made winning at Arrowhead Stadium look like just another game.

Denver has historically struggled on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs but it seems like that won’t be the case while Manning is under center. The 17-9 victory certainly wasn’t a masterpiece, but it didn’t need to be. The Broncos did enough to earn a gritty road win against a team who had nothing to lose. This was the Chiefs Super Bowl and they played like it. Unfortunately for them, quarterback Brady Quinn wasn’t up to the task.

The Broncos are a single victory away from clinching the AFC West and sit at 4-0 in the division. The West has become a laugher and Denver doesn’t need to worry about it anymore. At this point they can focus their attention on playoff positioning. The Broncos have now won six straight games and will be battling for a playoff bye the rest of the way.

Here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos tough road win over the Kansas City Chiefs:

• Denver clinched a winning record within the division for the first time since 2005. It’s clear that Manning brought his division dominance with him from Indianapolis.
• Not only did Knowshon Moreno surprisingly get the start yesterday, he played a great game. Maybe his time in Denver isn’t over quite yet. Moreno finished with 111 total yards and made as big an impact on the game as anyone. His 4.3 yard-per-carry average was impressive and is something the Broncos need while Willis McGahee is out with a knee injury.
• The Denver defense didn’t dominate like they have in recent weeks but they did keep Kansas City out of the end zone. It was surprising to see them get gashed for 107 yards by Jamaal Charles and not force a turnover until a meaningless interception on the final play of the game. But by the end of the day they had played well enough to get the win. The Chiefs were 3 of 14 on third downs and managed only 264 total yards. Wesley Woodyard once again led the way on the stat sheet with 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss and 1 quarterback hit. Von Miller also chipped in with a sack and a quarterback hit of his own.
• How’s this for spreading it around? Manning completed 4 passes each to Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Brandon Stokley, Jacob Tamme and Moreno.
• It looks like Trindon Holliday is going to keep making big plays for the Denver special teams. He provided 2 kick returns for a total of 92 yards and sparked the offense when they needed to get going.
• Matt Prater almost made the news for all the wrong reasons. He missed 2 field goals that kept the Chiefs in it long after he could have slammed the door on them. Prater needs to get his groove back.
• Next up for the Broncos is a home matchup against the surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Denver needs to keep protecting their home field if they want to make a run at a playoff bye. Go Broncos!

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