Chiefs vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning set the NFL record for career passing yards Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the legendary signal-caller was deservedly benched after a horrendous performance.

The visiting Chiefs picked Manning off three times in the opening half and shut down Denver's sputtering offense in a 29-13 victory at Sports Authority Field at Mile High that boosted their playoff hopes.

A four-yard completion to running back Ronnie Hillman in the first quarter gave Manning the highly anticipated milestone but proved to be the only notable highlight for him on a perilous afternoon.

Manning needed just three yards to eclipse Brett Favre as the league's all-time leading passer, but as NFL.com's Gil Brandt illustrated, the Broncos failed to gain much more than that in the opening half:

When Chiefs safety Ron Parker intercepted Manning in the third quarter, Troy Renck of the Denver Post had an anecdote that unsurprisingly preceded Brock Osweiler entering the game at QB for Denver:

The inexperienced Osweiler went three-and-out on his first drive in relief of the 39-year-old legend who looked every bit his age in going 5-of-20 passing for 35 yards.

Former NFL QB Sage Rosenfels reacted to Manning riding the pine:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also had a fitting reaction to the situation:

Speaking of quarterbacks with limited arm strength, Alex Smith did little after the Manning turnovers but took care of the ball. Smith gained 35 yards rushing to move the chains on occasion and led Kansas City on six scoring drives in the first three quarters, with five of them ending in field goals.

Aided by illegal-hands-to-the-face and pass-interference penalties on Chiefs rookie cornerback Marcus Peters, Osweiler shook off a nervy first possession and guided the Broncos near the end zone.

Osweiler hit Demaryius Thomas on 4th-and-4 to keep the drive alive in Chiefs territory but underthrew Thomas on a deep pass, which Sean Smith tipped and Eric Berry picked off for the Broncos' fifth interception of the day.

Chiefs running back Charcandrick West provided the dagger on the next possession, taking a short reception and turning on the jets for an 80-yard sprint to paydirt to silence the home crowd:

When Osweiler guided the Broncos to two touchdown drives thereafter, it was of little consolation but to get the signal-caller valuable game reps and a bit of confidence against soft coverage. His second career touchdown pass came on a seven-yard toss to Andre Caldwell with one minute, 45 seconds on the game clock.

The only consolation for Manning came by way of a creative take from CBS Sports' Will Brinson that seemed like wishful thinking:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller criticized those who refuse to believe Denver may be due for a change at its most important position:

As the season continues on, Manning's arm strength appears to be deteriorating. It's hard to justify benching a QB as cerebral as Manning, but he may not have enough arm strength at this point to execute the good decisions he makes on the field.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak may turn to Osweiler as the starter under center as Denver prepares to travel to Chicago and take on the Bears in Week 11. Although playing against an opponent with a losing record may justify keeping Manning in, upon further examination, the 4-5 Bears are 4-2 in their past six games, with their losses each coming by three points.

Another huge divisional game awaits the Chiefs in Week 11 as they hit the road to square off with the San Diego Chargers. That's a winnable contest for Kansas City, who will look to reach .500 and continue on a promising push for the postseason.

Postgame Reaction

Since no one will be talking about the Chiefs' huge win, it's worth starting the aftermath chatter with their coach, Andy Reid, who believes his team's best is yet to come.

"This was a good win, but we're not where we could be," said Reid, per Chiefs official beat reporter BJ Kissel. "The sky is the limit for this team."

Manning was dealing with foot and rib-cage injuries, per Andrew Mason for the Broncos' official website. Those ailments had to have contributed to Manning's poor performance, and Denver head coach Gary Kubiak intimated as much afterward, supporting Manning as his starter.

"I'm disappointed in myself. ... I probably should have made the decision not to play (Manning)," said Kubiak, per the Denver Post's Nicky Jhabvala, adding, "Peyton's our quarterback. If Peyton is healthy and ready to go, he's our quarterback."

Speaking on his performance, Manning said, via the Broncos' official Twitter account, "Bad game... Really put our team in a bad spot...I felt good enough to go out there and play."

So he didn't use his injuries as any excuse, though it's hard to dismiss the health issues when assessing Manning's overall level of play. He's now thrown 17 interceptions in 2015—the most in the NFL and only the fifth season of his career he's reached that total.