Football is a man’s game, provided it is remembered that men come in all sizes and play different positions.
The game Sunday at Invesco Field came down to a Kansas City quarterback and a Broncos cornerback. Tyler Thigpen vs. Dre Bly.
The Broncos were leading 24-17 with 4:44 remaining, but the Chiefs had fourth-and-goal at the 5. Thigpen took off through a lane opened over left guard. He was met at the 3-yard line by Bly.
Do not call him Ole Dre. Bly wrapped his arms around Thigpen’s chest and held on. Thigpen churned forward but fell about 2 feet short of the goal line. No touchdown. No Chiefs victory.
“My goal was to hit him high and hard. That way he couldn’t get it,” Bly said.
Stokley, Haggan injured.
Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley suffered a heel injury in the third quarter and left the stadium on crutches. He will have an MRI today.
Broncos middle linebacker Mario Haggan suffered what he said was a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
Haggan had been alternating series with Broncos middle linebacker Nate Webster, who had just returned from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
What about Woodyard?
Weakside linebacker D.J. Williams is considered the Broncos’ second- best defensive player after cornerback Champ Bailey, but the thought of sending Wesley Woodyard to the bench may not sit well with many Broncos fans.
Woodyard, in his fifth start in place of Williams, led the team with eight tackles Sunday and has become a high-energy, ferocious hitting force.
“D.J.’s the captain of our defense. You’ve got to give all respect to him,” Woodyard said. “I’m ready to accept my role on the team like I did in the preseason. I’m going to be a playmaker whether on special teams or defense.”
Prater misses again.
Denver kicker Matt Prater missed his sixth field goal in six games when he pushed a 49-yard attempt just to the right in the third quarter.
“I probably missed it by this much,” Prater said, holding his fingers a few inches apart. “All the ones I’ve missed have been by about a foot.”
Four of Prater’s misses have been between 40 and 49 yards. But he’s 5-for-5 from 50 yards and beyond.
Barrett slows Gonzalez.
Rookie safety Josh Barrett received a tough assignment in his third professional game. Namely, cover future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez one-on-one.
Gonzalez is the Chiefs’ leading receiver and had 100-yard receiving games in three of his four previous games. Sunday, he had five catches for 73 yards and scored the Chiefs’ only offensive touchdown.
“I just wanted to be a presence,” Barrett said. “I knew he’s their go- to guy.”
No major damage by Johnson.
The Broncos’ run defense held Kansas City running back Larry Johnson to 36 yards on 11 carries.
Compare that with the first time the teams met in September, when Johnson had 65 yards on his second carry and 198 rushing yards in the Chiefs’ 33-19 win.
“We had improvement in our rushing defense, and you saw that today,” coach Mike Shanahan said.
Winless at Invesco.
Kansas City fell to 0-8 at Invesco Field at Mile High. If the Chiefs had won, they would have handed the Broncos their unprecedented fourth straight loss at Invesco.
Footnotes.
The Broncos are 2-0 this season while wearing their once-dreaded alternative orange home jerseys. They also won this season against New Orleans while wearing the orange tops. . . . Bailey (groin), Williams (knee) and running back Selvin Young (groin) were held out for at least one more week.
Mike Klis, Lindsay Jones, Mike Chambers The Denver Post
