Chiefs vs. Broncos 2013, Week 11: Denver evens it up in the AFC West

According to numbers adjusted for time zones, the game drew a rating of 16.6, tied for the second-highest Sunday Night Football game of the season.

• NFL Debrief: Denver vs. KC was the game you deserved

Over at Mile High Report, Kyle Montgomery wrote about the great job by Denver’s offensive line:

Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride summed up the loss well, discussing exactly where the Chiefs came up short:

Offensively, Kansas City was stagnant for most of the game. Nothing was happening for the Chiefs offense, especially in the second half. The Chiefs’ defense has been an asset for the team all season long, but it was tough for the pass rush to make an impact with Manning getting rid of the ball so quickly.

The win pushed both teams to 9-1, giving the Broncos the tiebreaker for the division lead.

According to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, Welker was taken to the locker room to be evaluated by team trainers for a possible concussion.

Even with the time he missed, Welker caught eight of his 10 targets in the game for 72 yards. A handful of members of the Broncos’ passing offense have dealt with bumps and bruises this season, including Peyton Manning. Denver’s offense would take on a different feel if Welker was forced to miss any time. He has not missed a game since 2010.

The Broncos will get the football to start the second half.

• NFL Week 11 updates, highlights and GIFs | Live scores

The Chiefs are currently down to the Broncos by a score of 17-7. The winner of the matchup will take the immediate lead over the AFC West entering Week 12 of the season.

• NFL Week 11 updates, highlights and GIFs | Live scores

Stephen White [12:12 AM]:

Thanks for coming out, gnite!

The Chiefs-Broncos Sunday night game is arguably the biggest matchup of the NFL season so far, and the world’s most famous athlete is in attendance to take it all in at Mile High. Tiger Woods, dressed like a snowboarder, and his Olympic gold-medal winning girlfriend Lindsey Vonn were spotted by the NBC cameras yukking it up on the Broncos sideline.

Woods, a Stanford product, is purportedly close with fellow Cardinal alum and Broncos exec John Elway and those two were seen chatting before the game. Woods is also a little nuts about football, waking up in the middle of the night recently in Turkey to watch Stanford take on Oregon for that huge Thursday night game last week just hours before he teed off in a Euro Tour event.

Here is the full list of inactive players for Sunday Night Football.

Chiefs (via Adam Teicher of ESPN)

Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense are sustaining numbers that seem impossible: First in the NFL in scoring at over 40 points, while averaging 450 yards of offense.

The team’s weakness from a year ago has rectified itself with newfound reliability from running back Knowshon Moreno. He leads the Broncos with 521 yards and eight touchdowns. This has allowed the offense to become more balanced, and more consistent in short-yardage situations.

Only one game in Week 11 has a larger margin, with Denver favored by 7.5 points on Sunday, an astonishing buffer given the potential of the Chiefs’ pass rush to pressure Peyton Manning.

It’s a case of belief siding with offense. Denver is able to put a lot of points on the board quickly, and Alex Smith doesn’t have the ability to win a game if it turns into a shootout. Kansas City’s offensive plan will center on running the ball, controlling the clock and limiting the chances Manning has to operate under center. This is the best game plan available, even if it’s hardly ideal.

Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Nov. 17, 8:30 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.

TV schedule and distribution map: NBC; The506.com