Sep 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) is sacked by Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos won 31-24. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Peyton Manning gets credit for his NFL-record 42nd career fourth-quarter comeback. Linebacker Brandon Marshall took the game ball — literally and figuratively.
“I’ve been in crazy games, but never one quite like that,” Manning said. “Coaches pointed out, this is one you could build off of. This is one you always remember.”
Manning and Marshall helped the Denver Broncos score touchdowns nine seconds apart to shock the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday.
The Broncos have won 13 consecutive AFC West road games, an NFL record, and Manning improved to 7-0 with the Broncos against Kansas City.
“This one is pretty unique,” said Manning, who was thinking about overtime and looking at plays on the bench when he heard the sideline erupt with the call of “ball” when Jamaal Charles fumbled.
Marshall forced the ball out, cornerback Bradley Roby scooped it up and ran for a 21-yard game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds left.
“I was just trying to make a play and wasn’t careful with the ball,” Charles said. “I tried to put the team on my back and I ended up losing the game. It’s all on me tonight.”
Manning led an 80-yard scoring drive to tie the game at 24 on a 19-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders with 36 seconds left in regulation. On the Chiefs’ next play from scrimmage, Charles lost his second fumble of the game.
“One word,” Sanders said. “Resilience.”
What we learned about the Chiefs
1. Kansas City is still chasing Denver in the AFC West. The Broncos beat the Chiefs for the seventh consecutive meeting, since Kansas City topped Denver in the final game of the 2011 season. In the previous two seasons under Andy Reid, the Chiefs chased Denver home in the division, making the playoffs in 2013 and missing last season. Plenty of the roster changes made by Reid and general manager John Dorsey leading into the 2015 schedule were designed to close the gap with Denver. Kansas City has more work to do.
2. The Chiefs’ offensive line needed improvement in 2015; it hasn’t happened. The strung-together blocking unit that was successful against Houston in the opening game showed it is nowhere near good enough for the club to be considered a real contender. Right tackle Jah Reid was run over by the Broncos pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller. Quarterback Alex Smith was sacked four times and hit after the throw another half-dozen times.
3. Cornerback Marcus Peters, a rookie first-round draft choice, is the real deal. In just the second start of his NFL career, Peters grabbed his second interception, returning it 55 yards for a touchdown that staked the Chiefs to a 14-0 first-half lead. Like any rookie corner, Peters has moments where he is beaten by good execution, but he is showinh the mentality to bounce right back. He knocked down four passes from Peyton Manning along with his interception and added five tackles.
Etc.
–RB Jamaal Charles had 21 carries for 125 yards including a 34-yard touchdown Thursday, but he lost two fumbles. Charles coughed up the ball with 27 seconds left in the game on a first-down carry from the Chiefs’ 20. Broncos CB Bradley Roby picked up the ball and returned it 21 yards for the game-deciding score.
“I was just trying to make a play and wasn’t careful with the ball. I tried to put the team on my back and I ended up losing the game,” Charles said. “It’s all on me tonight.”
–OLB Justin Houston had two sacks, his 14th multi-sack game, and reached 50 career sacks in his 61st career game. Houston had six total tackles, hit Broncos QB Peyton Manning three times and defended a pass.
–FS Eric Berry returned to the starting lineup after working as a backup Week 1 at Houston. It was his first game at Arrowhead Stadium since 2013. Berry, 26, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, had four tackles. He missed all of last season to undergo treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
–LB Derrick Johnson had just two solo tackles Thursday but ran his total to 995, just four from the Chiefs’ all-time record held by LB Gary Spani (1978-86).
–CB Marcus Peters, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 2015, picked off a pass for the second consecutive game. Peters snagged a Peyton Manning pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead.
“It feels good, but it stings too bad,” Peters said after Kansas City’s 31-24 loss. “All the individual accolades we can make, I leave them on the field without the ‘W.'”
