Chiefs vs. Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for Denver
The Denver Broncos were just good enough to beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, outlasting them for a 24-17 victory.
Looking at the stat sheet, you'd think Kansas City won the game. The Chiefs had 45 more yards on the ground and 55 more yards of total offense. On top of that, the Chiefs possessed the ball for 13 minutes more than Denver.
The game plan of keeping Peyton Manning on the sidelines nearly worked for the Chiefs, but the Broncos had enough to hold on in the end thanks to another prolific passing performance from Manning.
The Broncos have now won five straight games against Kansas City. At 2-0, they lead the AFC West and already have a two-game lead over the 0-2 Chiefs.
The Broncos must now prepare to go on the road and face the team that dominated them in Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seattle Seahawks.
After a tough loss to San Diego on Sunday, the Seahawks will be hungry for a win. The Broncos will be looking to avenge their 35-point loss from the last time the two teams faced.
Continue reading on for a full report card for Denver's win over Kansas City.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Peyton Manning played another efficient game on Sunday, completing 21 of 26 passes for 242 yards. He also threw three touchdowns.
Manning's numbers may have been somewhat down due to the Chiefs controlling the game clock, especially in the second half, but he made several great throws in the game.
His third touchdown pass, a 12-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas, was put exactly where it needed to be.
Manning also faced more pressure in this game than he is used to seeing, and he dealt with it well. The Chiefs were only able to sack him once.
Manning has shown a great connection to tight end Julius Thomas, and he has done an excellent job getting Emmanuel Sanders involved in the offense.
Manning also continued his dominance over Kansas City. He has yet to lose to them since joining the Broncos.
"Peyton Manning: 12-1 career as starting QB vs Chiefs (including playoffs)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 14, 2014"
On the season, Manning has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions. Once he and the rest of the offense get things rolling on all cylinders, he'll be even better.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
Though the running game still appears to be a work in progress for the Broncos, they ran the ball much better against Kansas City than they did in Week 1.
Montee Ball led the way with 60 yards on 12 carries. C.J. Anderson chipped in with another 31 yards on five carries. Most importantly, the team averaged 4.6 yards per carry, an improvement of more than a yard-and-a-half from last week.
Ball also contributed in the receiving game, catching three passes for 29 yards. He may need more work in the blocking department, however. Kansas City's lone sack in the game came on a play when Tamba Hali got into the backfield and ran over Ball. With no other choice, Peyton Manning just fell to the ground, giving up the sack.
Denver stayed committed to the run in the game, dialing up 19 run plays as opposed to 26 passes.
One of the key plays in the game came in the third quarter. After Kansas City had just gone on a 19-play drive, they forced the Broncos into a 3rd-and-24 situation. Out of the shotgun formation, Ball took a handoff and found a hole, racing 23 yards and nearly gaining the first down.
On the next play, Denver caught the Kansas City defense off guard, quickly snapping the ball, and Ball took the handoff for a two-yard gain to move the chains. Denver didn't score on the drive, but it gave the defense a necessary breather.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Denver opened the game with a 48-yard pass play from Peyton Manning to Emmanuel Sanders in which Sanders easily beat defensive back Marcus Cooper.
This was a great decision by Denver, choosing to counter Kansas City's bold move of kicking the ball to Denver after winning the opening coin toss.
Sanders finished with a big day, making eight catches for 108 yards.
Demaryius Thomas shook the case of drops he had in Week 1, hauling in five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Thomas had a big play get called back by a penalty, Still, Denver showed had hard it can be to defend the bubble screen to Thomas when they set it up properly.
"What a catch by Demaryius Thomas! @Broncos offense is just a machine
— Shawne Merriman (@shawnemerriman) September 14, 2014"
The other Thomas, Julius, made his fourth touchdown reception of the season. He finished the game with four catches for 39 yards, but he made a couple of tough catches that very few tight ends in the league could bring in.
"This is impressive: #Broncos TE @Julius_Thomas' 4 receiving TDs this season are the most by a Bronco in team history through two games.
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) September 15, 2014"
Jacob Tamme even got in on the act, catching a four-yard touchdown pass.
The Broncos could still greatly benefit from the presence of Wes Welker. His ability to create mismatches in the middle of the field is sorely missing from the lineup.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Though Kansas City tried to bring as much pressure as possible, the Denver offensive line did a great job keeping Peyton Manning upright, which is always the most important thing for this team.
In the running game, they also did a good job opening holes for Montee Ball. The 4.6 yards per carry the team averaged is proof of that.
Right tackle Chris Clark was penalized a couple of times, including for being an ineligible man downfield on a play that resulted in 55-yard gain. Because of the penalty, the ball was brought all the way back, and Denver had to punt four plays later.
Clark also drew a 15-yard personal foul for clipping in the game.
Other than that, the unit delivered another strong performance, and they should be considered among the best offensive lines in the league.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
DeMarcus Ware looked very good on Sunday, getting a lot of pressure on Alex Smith and sacking him once. But he may have been a little too eager in this game. The Broncos were called for defensive offsides five times, two of which were on Ware.
On one of the other two, Quanterus Smith jumped a little too soon, nullifying an interception by Aqib Talib that was returned for a touchdown.
It seemed like every time Denver had Kansas City in trouble, they committed a bad penalty that allowed them to keep their drive going.
Kansas City also found plenty of room to run the ball with their backup running back. Knile Davis ran for 79 yards in relief of an injured Jamaal Charles, and Smith gained 42 yards on the ground.
Going forward, the Broncos really need to be better at getting off the field on third down. The defensive line also needs to find a way to win their individual battles up front. Smith showed a lot of mobility in this game, and Denver didn't have much of an answer for him once he got out of the pocket.
Still, Terrance Knighton batted down Smith's final attempt to tie the game up on fourth down from the Denver 2-yard line.
Grade: C-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Broncos seem to have really found something in Brandon Marshall. On Sunday, he was second on the team with eight tackles. He also had a sack, a hit on the quarterback and a pass defensed.
It will be interesting to see what happens when Danny Trevathan returns to the lineup. Trevathan is a great player, but the Broncos need to figure out a way to get Marshall on the field more as well.
Nate Irving had another solid game, leading the team with 11 tackles. He also had a fumble recovery on a play that was reviewed and overturned to an incomplete pass, but you have to like his aggressiveness.
Perhaps most encouraging was the play of Von Miller, who seems to be the player fans remember again. Miller had his first sack of the season. He showed great burst in the game as well. However, he had to sit out the final Kansas City drive with a groin injury.
The Broncos will have to hope that isn't anything too serious. Reserve linebacker Lerentee McCray also left the game with a knee injury and will have an MRI tomorrow.
"Reports: Von Miller has groin injury, Lerentee McCray will undergo knee MRI http://t.co/JI5qOL1UTy #broncos
— IAOFM (@IAOFM) September 15, 2014"
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Alex Smith threw for 255 yards in the game, and he was deadly on third down. The Chiefs converted 11 of 16 on third down, and Smith did most of his damage there, throwing for 132 yards on third down.
The Chiefs did a good job of finding soft spots in the Denver defense, using players like Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano for big gains down the field. Kelce averaged over 20 yards on his four receptions.
As a unit, the Broncos need to do much better, specifically on third down. With all of the plays Smith made both with his feet and his arm, Denver was lucky to escape with a victory.
The Broncos held Kansas City's wide receivers in check, but they continue to struggle with covering tight ends, something that dates back a couple of years.
The Broncos were very active in the free-agent market by bringing in guys like Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward. To this point, the secondary doesn't look any better than it did last year.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Brandon McManus was again steady in the absence of Matt Prater. He kicked a 20-yard field goal and was good on each of his PATs. He also boomed some kickoffs deep into the end zone, forcing Kansas City to start at their own 20-yard line.
Britton Colquitt was called on to punt three times, and he averaged 44 yards per kick. He dropped one inside the 20-yard line and may have won some bragging rights over his brother, Dustin, who plays for Kansas City.
Dustin averaged only 40 yards on his two punts.
In a very encouraging sign, Andre Caldwell nearly broke a kickoff return, racing 54 yards down the sideline. The Broncos have been looking for a dependable return man now that Trindon Holliday is gone. Maybe it's Caldwell?
The Broncos didn't have to exert much effort in the kick coverage game. Frankie Hammond had two punt returns, getting stopped after just one yard on each return. He did bring back one kickoff for 37 yards. Denver may still want to spend time on kickoff coverage in practice.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will have a very specific assignment for his defense this week, and that will be to instill more discipline.
The Broncos kept the Chiefs alive in this game with penalties. Between jumping offsides and Malik Jackson drawing a very bad personal foul for roughing the passer, Del Rio will have some things to clean up.
Getting the defense off of the field quicker needs to be another priority for the team starting as soon as possible. All you have to do is look at the time of possession in this game to realize the Broncos won't win many games playing the way they played today.
The other area the Broncos need to work on, as was the case following their win over the Colts, is staying on the aggressive.
Once again, the Broncos came out of the gate and marched down the field for a touchdown. It's going to be a blowout, right? Not so much.
The Broncos have a knack for allowing teams to hang around. Kansas City had every chance to beat them Sunday, and the Broncos are a much more talented team than they are.
Somehow, the Broncos need to gain more of a killer instinct. If that means they run up the score like Bill Belichick has been known to do in New England, than so be it.
Letting teams hang around allows you to be vulnerable for an upset. Denver can't afford to continue that type of play.
Grade: D
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: A
Running Back: B
Wide Receiver/Tight End: A-
Offensive Line: B
Defensive Line: C-
Linebacker: B
Secondary: C-
Special Teams: B+
Coaching: D
Overall Grade: C
The Broncos sit at 2-0, and they haven't even come close to playing to their full ability yet. That could be very encouraging to some.
On the other hand, their penchant for allowing teams to stay close is bound to bite them at the worst possible time.
The Broncos need to work on putting together a complete game. Peyton Manning has been excellent so far, and he's likely the reason the team is 2-0 and not 0-2.
With that said, there are some very good teams in the league that will make the Broncos pay for the type of performance they put forth on Sunday.
Denver should be happy to be sitting atop the AFC West with a 2-0 record, but if they want to make a return to the Super Bowl, they have to be much better as a team.
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