Sitting in the locker room underneath the heated breath of Josh McDaniels, the Broncos are down 10 to 3 at the half.

The motivating speech? One isn’t needed.

Their season is all but in the books with a loss. They win, and statistically speaking, there’s a glimmer of hope. There’s a glimmer of hope for McDaniels to keep his job, for faith to be restored in his system, for the heartbreak to stop in Denver.

In the sea of red, the stadium screams Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs. And that’s just who dominated the first half. The Chiefs have found balance in their offense to dominate the clock. Matt Cassel is 11-for-19 for 138 yards and 1 touchdown. Jamaal Charles has 8 carries for 45 yards to make up the bulk of the Chiefs’ 60 rushing yards.  

Knowshon Moreno is well on his way to over 100+ yards rushing if he keeps the pace going. He’s got 15 carries for 85 yards. The Broncos have actually been more productive rushing than passing (56 total yards). Again, the Broncos are struggling on third down – third and short, and third and long. They’re 2-for-6 and on third down.

If the Broncos continue their slow start-fast finish season, there’s a chance they could get this win. If their offense doesn’t pick up however, the Chiefs will run away with this thing. In the final two minutes of the half, the Chiefs easily moved the ball downfield. They’ve found their rhythm and there won’t be any letting up.

This is all in the hands and the minds of the Broncos. It’s concentration and team pride that are the margins of victory.

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