The Denver Broncos will maintain sole possession of the AFC West lead for another week after an impressive 29-16 road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Here’s what we saw in this critical division showdown on Sunday Night Football.
Turning Point
The first six drives of the game were enough to give Denver a cushion they'd never relinquish. Kansas City sputtered to three three-and-outs on their first three possessions, actually losing 15 yards in the process.
In contrast, Denver scored 17 points on their first three drives, gaining 175 yards and taking the wind out of a hyped crowd in Kansas City. Denver would never really let control of the game go after that.
Key Stat: 80-44
The Denver Broncos played "keep away" all night long on the Chiefs home turf, running 80 offensive possessions to Kansas City's 44. By almost doubling the Chiefs' snap total, the Broncos forced the Kansas City Chiefs defense to spend most of their time chasing after their skill position players.
Broncos MVP
RB CJ Anderson ran like a bowling ball down a lane, running through Kansas City defenders all night long in an impressive display of both strength and footwork. Anderson carried the ball 32 times for 168 yards, and both he and the team's talented offensive line played a pivotal role in keeping the Chiefs offense on the sideline for a majority of the contest.
Close runner-up: The Broncos pass rush. DeMarcus Ware and the rest of the Broncos' front seven kept the pressure on Chiefs QB Alex Smith, sacking him five times on the night. If the Broncos continue to push back opposing offensive linemen like they did tonight, a defensive unit that was a noted question mark for last year's Super Bowl run won't be so questionable this time around.
Chiefs MVP
Jamaal Charles had a pedestrian day by his standards, but his TD reception in the fourth breathed some life into the crowd by cutting a 16-point deficit down to ten.
Also, give the entire Chiefs defense credit for taking on the Herculean task in front of them (with time of possession heavily weighted in favor of the Broncos), keeping the Chiefs within reasonable striking distance till late.
What’s Next?
The Broncos head home to face a Bills squad next Sunday that is very much still in the AFC Playoff hunt. The Chiefs will have to regroup before heading west to face the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals on that same day.