Let us start with the Kansas City Chiefs, the new Chiefs, we were told. They mangled the Jets and won at Oakland and have this new banging defense.
And, ooooh, remember, they won at Oakland last week.
Actually, the Chiefs have won at Oakland in each of the past three seasons. Each victory was by at least six points.
And now they have lost here five straight times. They have never won in the Broncos’ new home.
You put a stretch together like the Chiefs did late in the first quarter Monday night, and it is easy to see why.
The Chiefs – from 4:55 until 2:30 was left in the quarter – on nearly successive plays were:
Penalized 5 yards for a false start on their punt.
Penalized 15 yards for a face-mask penalty that turned a 16-yard Broncos catch into a 31-yard gain.
Allowed a 44-yard touchdown run.
Penalized for holding on the kickoff that followed and forced their offense to start at its 10-yard line.
Fumbled at their 12.
Allowed a 12-yard touchdown catch on the next play.
Held again on the kickoff, forcing the offense to start at its 11-yard line.
It was 17-0 after the first quarter and there was little wonder the Chiefs lost by 20 points.
The Chiefs looked ordinary and happy that they had won in Oakland last week. They looked like a team with the early division lead that did not mind Denver earning a matching 2-1 record. The good news for Denver is it is 2-0 in the division while the Chiefs fell to 1-1.
The Chiefs played without powerful offensive tackle Willie Roaf (hamstring), and the entire offense looked disorganized and disinterested. Did no Roaf turn into a colossal loaf? It is impossible to imagine this oftentimes intoxicating offense looking more hopeless, regardless of the Chiefs’ late – way late – entry into the end zone.
Good plans on both sides of the ball, confidence and aggressiveness will make a good team look ghastly.
The Broncos’ approach to things Monday night was spectacular.
Their third play of the game was a third-and-3 stop at the Kansas City 37 that would have forced a punt. But safety Nick Ferguson was penalized for roughing the passer. That put the ball at the Denver 48. Unlike the Chiefs, however, the Broncos’ goofball play ended right there. The defense forced a punt anyway. The Broncos scored a field goal on their first drive and the quarter ended with the Chiefs cracking.
The way the Broncos’ offensive players laid their pads mano a mano on the Chiefs in building the running game helped make everything else in the Broncos’ offense click. The way the offense went for the throat after Kansas City’s early fumble and scored on a pass into the end zone made the Broncos stiffen and the Chiefs succumb.
Another dagger for the offense was Jake Plummer’s 1-yard, bootleg touchdown run. It came on a fourth-and-inches play with 8:34 left in the third quarter. The scored changed from 20-3 to 27-3 because of that call. The willingness to go for it and the creativity of the call helped define the Broncos’ approach all night long.
Eager.
On point.
The Broncos’ defense played with an early, big lead for the first time this season. That is when defensive players love to bring it.
And the Broncos did.
They held Kansas City’s offense to a sad 27 percent third-
down success rate, to 285 total yards, to 74 rushing yards, to a stunning 4.6-yard average per pass and almost forced as many Trent Green incompletions (21) as completions (23).
The Chiefs contributed that early fumble and by night’s end had 13 penalties for 118 yards.
Well before the game ended Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil had that cross-eyed, furrowed-brow look while pacing the sideline that usually tells you all you need to know about where his Chiefs stand.
They were rocked.
Who knew the Broncos had it in them?
Clearly, the Broncos did.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or tgeorge@denverpost.com.
