Laddie Morse
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
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How could Charles Dickens know exactly how we Kansas City Chiefs fans would feel over 160 years ago? The beginning of the book, A Tale of Two Cities, was published in 1859 yet it seems as if Dickens was a Kingdom Fan long before there was a Kingdom. The result between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos at Mile High stadium, Empower Field, was a Tale of Two Halves… or at least two quarters.
Note: it only seems fitting that we use a quote by Charles Dickens at this time of year when his piece “A Christmas Carol” is ever so loved. I also want to thank my dear friend Ron for the suggestion of using this quote.
First Half
With 4:32 to go in the first half, the Chiefs led the Broncos by a score of 27-to-0 and we all thought that the game was over… or at least on ice.
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That was right before the Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw the first of what would become three INTs in the game, but the two he threw before halftime helped propel the Broncos to two TDs and whittled the Chiefs lead at the half down to 27-to-14. Plus the Broncos were about to get the ball first after the half.
On a 2nd-and-7 at his own 34 yard line, Mahomes threw the ball to LB Josey Jewel of the Broncos, who stopped at the Chiefs 42 yard line. That led to their first TD, an 18 yard pass from Russell Wilson to Jerry Jeudy. Add in the extra point to make it, Chiefs 27, Broncos 7.
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At that point, we’re all figuring that if the Chiefs march right down and score again, they can wrap this one with a bow. Instead, at mid-field, QB Patrick Mahomes threw his 2nd INT to Patrick Surtain II and once again, the Broncos scored, making it, 27 to 14 with them getting the chance to score again right after the half.
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However, it was a completed INT as Patrick Surtain II had his hand under the ball for a legit catch.
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Second Half
That’s exactly what happened too. Russell Wilson helped by hitting an open RB, Marion Mack in the flat, and he rambled 66 yards for a TD. Suddenly, that made it 27 Chiefs, 21 Broncos and Denver was within striking distance.
K.C. Punted twice and the Broncos Punted twice, then each team scored a TD and we arrived at the score that was the final: Chiefs 34, Broncos 28. So, what’s the big deal? The Broncos are a bad team. They are now 3-and-10 and the 28 points they scored on K.C. was the largest amount they’ve scored all season.
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14 Straight
This may have been the 14th straight time the Chiefs have beaten the Broncos, but I’m afraid it gives a bad team “Hope.” The Chiefs will host these same Broncos in their second to last game of the year, and if K.C. is not two games up on the Bills by then, they’ll have to play all their first teamers and beat them again when they square off in Week 17, on January, 1st of 2023 (New Year’s Day). Part of the problem is… they just convinced the Broncos that they can beat the Chiefs (by letting them back into the game and making it close at the end).
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The Chiefs face the Raiders in Week 18, and if they don’t have things wrapped up by then, they’ll have to keep on playing all their best players… again. Not the best scenario as they’re heading into the playoffs. Three weeks ago, ESPN published an article called, “Jets Claim Longest Active Streak of Losing to a Single Team” which means it appears that the Broncos can now match. The article said:
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“The Jets now have lost 14 straight games to the Patriots, breaking the Denver Broncos’ losing streak against the Kansas City Chiefs for the longest active streak. It’s just the eighth time a team has lost 14 or more games against a single opponent all time. The Jets [and now the Broncos] have a long way to go to beat the record of 20, set by the Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to ’79.”
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Kelce is the Best
Travis Kelce gained 71 yards in this game to go over the 1,000 receiving yards mark for the 7th year straight. More importantly, his string of 7 straight years of going over one-thousand yards is better than any other other TE in NFL history by four years. Also, Kelce is climbing the total receiving yards ladder of All-Time TEs led by another Chief, Tony Gonzalez. From StatMuse.com:
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Kelce leads the Top Five TEs of all time in Yards Per Reception at 12.8. At his current pace, he’ll need 141 more catches to surpass Antonio Gates to climb into the number three spot all time in receiving yards. Since Kelce is averaging around 95 catches per season, for the past three seasons, it should take him about a year and a half to catch, and pass, Gates.
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Player(s) of the Game
RB Jerick McKinnon had the Chiefs first two TDs and he deserves the distinction of “Player of the Game.” McKinnon also had 134 yards of offense, 22 rushing and 112 receiving, combined. However, LB Willie Gay also deserves this title, especially for his batted ball-INT-Pick-6, a run back for a TD highlight. Gay also had 5 tackles and one of those was a TFL (tackle for a loss). If not for Gay’s pick-6 (see below), the Chiefs may not have come out on top in this one.
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Let’s also take another look at Jerick McKinnon’s 1st TD, a dive for paydirt. It was a sensational play:
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Concerns
When a team is up by 27 points at one point in a game, the rest of that game should be all down hill. This game was exactly not that. Yes, the Chiefs were up by 27-to-nothing, but after that, they not only allowed the Broncos back into the contest, but ended up having to play out their last possession as if they could lose… if they gave up the ball again. That’s why it was the best of times… and the worst of times. Yes, K.C. came away with a victory, but other than that, it felt like a grotesque victory. When you smush all their game together (the wins and losses), the Chiefs have had an ugly loss last week (to the Bengals) and an ugly win this week (to the Broncos). That’s a lot of ugly to force upon your fans. Furthermore, this was a team — the Broncos — they were supposed to destroy, but they didn’t… at all.
I’ll tell you what’s not a concern… rookie DL George Karlaftis has now recorded a Sacks in three straight games, v Rams, v Bengals, v Broncos.
Even DE Frank Clark agrees this was, a less than ideal, win:
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Quote of the Game
“I am completely disappointed in PMII’s game today.
He gave them an uplift with the first INT. With the
second, he gave them a chance. With the third?
Who knows but they turned the ball over themselves.
Game over. Just a bad game for Patrick Mahomes.”
-David Bell
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Tweet of the Game
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It was suggested that the whole team needs a “Come to Jesus” meeting following this game. I’d have to include Patrick Mahomes in that meeting for sure. One thing is for sure… they got to change their evil ways…
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Song of the Game
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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