KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Broncos and Chiefs combined for 809 yards yesterday, but the most important yard, and the one that summed up Denver's disappointing performance, was the one running back Mike Anderson didn't get.
On fourth and 2 with a little more than two minutes remaining, Anderson took the handoff and was met by several defenders. Officials originally gave the Broncos a first down, but the call was reversed after a replay challenge showed Anderson was stopped a yard short, another critical breakdown in a 31-27 loss in front of 78,261 fans at Arrowhead Stadium.
|
Three and out
1 Denver never really got its vaunted running game going as the Chiefs' front seven closed the gaps.
2 Larry Johnson's fifth straight 100-yard rushing game for the Chiefs tied a club record set by Priest Holmes in 2002.
3 Trent Green threw two touchdown passes for the Chiefs, who have won four of the last five.
|
|
The Broncos couldn't stop the run, couldn't get in the end zone after halftime and, subsequently, couldn't put the Chiefs away in the AFC West race. The Broncos fell to 9-3. The Chiefs are a game behind at 8-4, tied with the Chargers.
"If you're going to do anything in this league in the playoffs, in January, you have to win these types of games," Broncos receiver Rod Smith said. "This is a playoff game, this is a playoff atmosphere and when you come out on the low end of it you really got to rethink what you're doing and how you're doing it and go back to work."
Chiefs running back Larry Johnson rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard score in the fourth quarter set up by a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty on safety John Lynch. But the Broncos had a chance to win late.
On the fourth-and-2 play at Denver's 47-yard line, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan called a basic stretch running play.
Anderson ran off right tackle and was hit by Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen. Linebacker Kawika Mitchell and defensive tackle Lional Dalton were also there to push back Anderson.
"I thought I had it," Anderson said.
Kansas City challenged the ruling and the call was reversed.
"It was clear to me he didn't reach the first down and the right thing to do was reverse it and give the ball to (Kansas City)," referee Bill Leavy said to a pool reporter.
Kansas City took over on downs with 2:01 left. Denver got the ball back with three seconds to play but a desperation pass was knocked down.
Denver made the first big play in a game full of them when Anderson took a screen pass 66 yards for a touchdown on the Broncos' first drive. The Chiefs responded with a pair of touchdowns – a 41-yard reception by Dante Hall made simpler by a coverage mistake and a 1-yard touchdown run by Johnson.
Anderson tied the score with a 1-yard touchdown run.
After Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez scored on a 25-yard catch with 1:39 left in the half, Shanahan went deep into the playbook for a quarterback draw to backup Bradlee Van Pelt, who hadn't taken a snap in his career. Quarterback Jake Plummer lined up as a wide receiver, Van Pelt took the shotgun snap and ran 7 yards to the end zone, tying the score 21-21 at halftime.
Plummer was intercepted by Mitchell on the third play of the second half, a sign of things to come for the offense. Kansas City settled for a field goal, but the Chiefs said that play turned the momentum.
"If you take their best shots, where do they go from there?" Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "How many more great shots do they have?"
Denver coming up short at Kansas City is nothing new. The Chiefs have won 17 of 18 December home games against the Broncos.
