Finals score: Broncos 10, Chiefs 33
Broncos vs. Chiefs 2016 final score & highlights from Kansas City’s big win
Denver fights for its postseason life on Christmas Day.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs kicked a pair of field goals to open the gap in the fourth quarter.
But the best play of the game, a watershed moment in large man touchdowns came late in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs sent in Dontario Poe, their 346-pound nose tackle who sometimes joins the offense to plow through the pile. Instead, he threw a perfect little jumper to Demetrius Harris for a 2-yard touchdown.
Poe is the first player to throw a TD pass and sack a quarterback in the same game.
Also, it was amazing.
Third quarter: Broncos 10, Chiefs 21
What, you didn’t think we’d go three straight quarters talking about how great the offenses are on these two teams, did you? The defenses have kind of settled in for the last two quarters now.
The Chiefs haven’t scored on offense in the second half of their last three games.
Second quarter: Broncos 10, Chiefs 21
Brandon McManus kicked a 52-yard field goal to give the Broncos another three points.
First quarter: Broncos 7, Chiefs 21
Kansas City opened the scoring with a 77-yard, seven-play touchdown drive on their first possession of the game, highlighted by a Tyreek Hill 28-yard run.
Hill was at again later in the first quarter on their next drive. The Chiefs ran a simple counter play that sprung Hill for a 70-yard touchdown. Assist to Travis Kelce for the block that helped open things up as Hill came out of the backfield.
The Broncos answered with 2:47 left to play in the first. They picked off Alex Smith and took the ball 38 yards, all the way down to Kansas City’s 6-yard line. Justin Forsett punched it in for a touchdown two plays later.
Kelce took a screen pass from Smith 80 yards for a touchdown barely a minute after the Broncos scored.
The Chiefs are living off chunk plays from their offense, 28 yards here, 70 there, another 80 here ... remember the days when Alex Smith lived on 6 yards per attempt?
The stakes: The Chiefs already clinched a playoff spot thanks to the Ravens’ loss earlier on Sunday. Denver has to win, or they’ll be completely eliminated from the AFC playoff race.
After starting the season 4-0, the Broncos looked like a safe bet to defend their AFC West title. Instead, a recent 1-3 stretch has Denver in danger of missing the playoffs — and the road won’t get any easier when the team has to face 10-4 Kansas City on the road Christmas Day.
The Chiefs already have a win over the Broncos on their resume, and punched their ticket to the 2017 NFL playoffs before kickoff, thanks to the Ravens’ loss to the Steelers. They need a repeat performance Sunday evening to lock down at least a wild card bid and stay alive in the race for the AFC West title. Kansas City controlled its own fate in the quest for its first division crown since 2010 heading into Week 15, but a last-second loss to the Titans ceded control back to the Raiders.
Sitting in third is Denver, victims of a 4-6 skid since standing atop the league’s power rankings through four weeks of the season. The Broncos have struggled against strong teams this fall, going 2-4 against teams who were projected to make the playoffs through 15 weeks. Those two wins came over the Texans and Bucs, neither of which is assured of a postseason berth.
Kansas City’s win back in November tied for the most points a stellar Denver defense has allowed all year — though it includes two overtime field goals that eventually marked the difference between winning and losing. The Chiefs only gained 273 total yards through 75 minutes of play — nearly 200 fewer yards than the Broncos — but used one of the league’s most dynamic weapons to make each yard count. Rookie speedster Tyreek Hill housed an 86-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and added rushing and receiving touchdowns in the win.
One positive coach Gary Kubiak can take from that defeat was Trevor Siemian’s solid play. The second-year quarterback has struggled in stretches this fall, but had one of his finest performances as a professional against an opportunistic Chiefs secondary. He passed for a career-high 368 yards and three touchdowns in a game where his running backs barely gave him three yards per carry.
Siemian will have a tougher assignment Sunday on what promises to be a warm but rainy and windy day in Kansas City. He’ll have plenty to prove after failing to lead his offense to the end zone in last week’s 16-3 loss to the Patriots.
The game is set for kickoff at 8:30 p.m. on NBC, with a live stream available at NBC Sports.
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