Inconsistent Play-Calling Again Dooms Chiefs in 'TNF' Loss to Broncos

It's a little ironic that Thursday night's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos essentially ended on a Jamaal Charles run. Had the Chiefs ran the ball earlier in the game in situations that called for it, the final stretch of events would have likely never occurred.

With less than a minute remaining and the score tied, Charles fumbled and Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. Denver went up 31-24 after Brandon McManus' extra point, and the Chiefs lost by that count.

Trying to take the game into overtime was the right decision for the Chiefs, but kneeling on the ball would have made more sense. Kansas City had just one timeout remaining, and quarterback Alex Smith had thrown two interceptions to that point.

The time for Charles to run was earlier in the game.

Charles averaged nearly six yards per carry against the Broncos but was largely ignored in the red zone and in critical clock situations. His one touchdown run came from 34 yards out, and he didn't touch the ball when the Chiefs started a second-quarter drive with 2:36 remaining and a seven-point lead.

Instead, Andy Reid called for two straight passing plays to start the drive. The second was intercepted, and the Broncos went on to tie the game just before halftime.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Chiefs drove to the Denver 21-yard line and then ignored Charles on the ground for three straight plays. Backup Knile Davis, who averaged just 3.0 yards per carry, got the ball on first down. Kansas City settled for a field goal after an incompletion and a short pass to Charles.

On the Chiefs' very first drive of the game, Smith threw three straight times after a 1st-and-goal opportunity from the 2-yard line. Charles fumbled after catching the third pass, so he deserves blame there, but it's hard to imagine the Chiefs wouldn't have gotten into the end zone by running three times from the 2-yard line.

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

Even if they didn't, the ensuing field goal would have been a difference-maker.

In fact, you could make a case that turnovers as a whole doomed the Chiefs against their divisional rivals; it's hard to win when you throw two picks and fumble three times. However, questionable play-calling played a key role.

If Reid really believes calling a perfect play is like a good cheeseburger, then Thursday was like a batch of bad burritos.

Kansas City should have scored on its opening drive. The Broncos shouldn't have had an opportunity to score before halftime. The Chiefs should have had a 10-point lead with 36 seconds remaining and could have simply knelt on the ball instead of running Charles.

There would have been no fourth-quarter fumble, no unlikely comeback, and the Chiefs would have walked away with a convincing divisional victory. Instead, we're left to talk about the Chiefs as a talented team that shot themselves in the foot against the reigning AFC West champions.

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

"I'm not sure I've been in one quite like that," Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning told CBS after the final whistle. "That was a new one to me."

While Manning has won games he shouldn't have in the past, odd play choices by the Chiefs did lead to an unlikely finish.

Questionable play-calling is not a new topic of conversation for those discussing Reid. Fans frequently questioned the pass-first tactics he often employed with the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as his clock-management expertise (or lack thereof).

According to John Branch of the New York Times, longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi once called Reid his "all-time worst game manager."

Thursday night's events aren't going to do much to turn around Reid's reputation as a poor situational manager, which is a shame. Reid is a terrific coach, even if he is a lightning rod for the second-guessing storm.

However, the fact remains Kansas City's play-calling deserves to be second-guessed. The Chiefs should have never lost to the Broncos at home in a game like that, and they only have themselves and their decisions to blame.