Broncos lose “Battle of Inches” by a Mile in loss to Chiefs
By Noah Smith
The Denver Broncos lost their 10th straight game to the Kansas City Chiefs, with a final score of 43-16. More importantly, Denver lost the “Battle of Inches” again.
I spoke about the “Battle of Inches” in my preview of Sunday’s matchup, and the importance for the Denver Broncos of winning the turnover battle and avoiding mistakes.
The Broncos on Sunday had four turnovers including a pick-six and a kickoff returned for a touchdown. Tack on five penalties and the Broncos lose the “Battle of Inches” by a mile-wide margin.
On paper, the statistics favor the Denver Broncos. The Broncos’ offense converted more first-downs and accrued more yards than the Chiefs. The Broncos were perfect in red-zone efficiency, and even won the time of possession. So how did the Broncos surrender 43 points to the Chiefs?
The Broncos slowly bled out through “Death by Inches”.
Fangio: “It was disappointing obviously. We just didn’t play well as a team”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) October 25, 2020
The Broncos offense certainly didn’t play well enough to be competitive against the Chiefs. Two early three-and-outs set the tone for a frustrating game for the offense in particular.
An early fumble by Melvin Gordon put the Broncos’ offense on edge, and on their next drive followed up with a pick-six from Daniel Sorensen. Sorensen made an excellent play on a catchable ball intended for Noah Fant, and the Broncos faced an early 17-6 deficit.
The Broncos offense responded with a field goal to bring the game to 17-9 before Kansas City threw its second haymaker.
On the following kickoff, returner Byron Pringle returned a 102-yard kickoff for a touchdown to bring the score to 24-9, and the Chiefs never looked back.
Coming out of halftime, the Broncos still had a chance to bring the game to within one score. Instead, the Broncos called a poorly timed flea-flicker that Melvin Gordon simply threw way over Drew Lock’s head. The Chiefs then scored a quick field goal to bring the game to 27-9.
Quarterback Drew Lock would throw a second interception that hit receiver K.J. Hamler in the hands, before bouncing up and into the hands of Tyrann Mathieu.
In order to get back on track, the Broncos must figure out their turnover woes. Denver’s quarterbacks have thrown seven interceptions in the past three games. Winning the turnover battle has to be a key for the young team moving forward.
While we are quick to point out the flaws in the Broncos’ humiliating loss against the Chiefs, we have to acknowledge the defense. Vic Fangio called an excellent game, holding the Chiefs’ offense to 15 points before falling beyond a 21 point deficit.
Denver’s defense made Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable all day, notching four sacks on the elusive quarterback. Mahomes’ finished his day 15/23 passing for 200 yards and one touchdown pass.
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While the defense was ready to play, the offense and special teams looked undisciplined and unprepared. Bringing all three facets of the team together will be huge for the Broncos moving forward. However, the Broncos must start with avoiding “Death by Inches” to win against the elite teams in the NFL.