Chiefs vs. Broncos: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning picked up right where he left off last season against the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs in leading his team to a 24-17 victory on Sunday.

Manning threw three touchdown passes in the first half, and the Chiefs suffered a couple of critical injuries that harmed their chances to get back into this Week 2 showdown.  

However, Kansas City fought hard and made things interesting, with an opportunity to notch the tying score late.

A key sequence unfolded just after the two-minute warning when former Dallas Cowboys star DeMarcus Ware appeared to officially arrive as a Bronco. Ware stripped Chiefs QB Alex Smith of the ball on a play that began at the Denver 30, allowing the Broncos to recover and theoretically run out the clock.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas praised Ware's play:

Unfortunately for the home crowd, the referees overturned the call and ruled it an incomplete pass. Nevertheless, Denver held its ground defensively, as Smith misfired to Dwayne Bowe just two yards away from the end zone to turn the ball over on downs.

ESPN's Skip Bayless offered his take on Kansas City's final failed play:

Manning's brilliance helped stoke Denver to a hefty first-half lead, and his drive to get a field goal with 3:27 remaining in the game proved critical, too.

With Denver taking a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime, ESPN Stats & Info noted how strong Manning—who finished 21-of-26 passing for 242 yards—has played Kansas City as of late:

Mike Klis of The Denver Post detailed the hot start Manning got his team off to:

Tight end Julius Thomas was on the receiving end of the first of Manning's scores after grabbing three touchdowns in Week 1. 

Lindsay Jones of USA Today offered her take on the stud tight end:

Manning spoke about Thomas' talents following the Broncos' Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

"I don't know if you talk about mismatches," said Manning, via The Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala. "Julius is the guy we got to try to find a way to get the ball to him no matter what defense they're playing."

Even when the visitors took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Manning remained undaunted in directing Denver's offensive juggernaut.

A four-yard scoring strike to longtime familiar target Jacob Tamme with 7:19 left in the second put the Broncos back on top. Manning then orchestrated an 11-play, 88-yard march in four minutes and 26 seconds, finding Demaryius Thomas for a 12-yard TD connection with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.

ESPN Denver's Cecil Lammey alluded to the significance of Manning's third touchdown toss:

Chiefs star running back Jamaal Charles had just two carries for four yards and one reception for eight yards before exiting the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

Kansas City safety Eric Berry was also ruled out for the second half due to an ankle injury, per NFL.com's Gil Brandt:

Even without Charles and Berry, Kansas City managed to dominate time of possession. Backup running back Knile Davis did an admirable job filling in for Charles, with 22 carries for 79 yards and two scores to go with six receptions for 26 yards.

Davis capped off a marathon 14-play, 90-yard drive that chewed up seven minutes and 42 seconds with a four-yard touchdown rush to cut Denver's lead to 21-17 midway through the fourth quarter.

Manning and Co. never got a chance to get going until it was a one-possession game. Smith had led a 10-minute, 19-play drive to start the third, only to see Cairo Santos miss a 37-yard field goal.

Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports weighed in on the missed opportunity:

Broncos legend Shannon Sharpe was critical of the Denver defense, which allowed Kansas City to convert 11 of its 16 third downs:

Another former Denver standout, current ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, also voiced his displeasure with the Broncos D:

As much flack as the Broncos received for the side of the ball Manning doesn't control, they got a big stop when they needed it for the second time in a row to ice the game.

One concern going forward for Denver, despite its 2-0 record, is how the offense slowed down for the second straight game in the final half. The Broncos allowed Indianapolis to creep back into their regular-season opener, and a similar phenomenon occurred this Sunday.

At least coach John Fox's Broncos have the upper hand early in the AFC West. Now they will look forward to a massive Super Bowl rematch with the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 3.

As for the Chiefs, starting 0-2 certainly isn't ideal, and the hope is that they get both Charles and Berry back in short order. Traveling to Miami may not be the ideal antidote, but Kansas City needs to win that one to avoid a massive letdown after last year's surprising run to the playoffs.