2012: Broncos @ Chiefs (November 25, week 12)
The Broncos were in the middle of a very long winning streak in Peyton Manning’s first year as quarterback of the team, and a road game against the 1-9 Kansas City Chiefs seemed like a no-brainer on paper.
The Chiefs were a lot worse at this point in time than the Broncos were even in 2017, but they still somehow managed to cool off the hottest team in the league and take a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
Despite the fact that the Chiefs were way overmatched in this game, they gave the Broncos their toughest test defensively of the season, holding Peyton Manning’s crew to just 17 points (final score of 17-9). It was the only game in the 2012 season where Denver was held to less than 21 points.
It’s a stretch to say this game was a ‘turning point’ for Denver, but it was undoubtedly a wake-up call.