Broncos vs. Chiefs: Score and Twitter Reaction from 'Sunday Night Football'

With temperatures in Kansas City, Missouri hovering around 20 degrees, the Denver Broncos couldn't maintain their hot start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

However, it didn't matter as the Broncos used a healthy dose of C.J. Anderson to secure a 29-16 win in Arrowhead Stadium.

Since stepping in for Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball, Anderson has emerged as a major weapon in the Denver offense. Despite failing to get drafted in 2013, he mentioned before the game that the slight didn't shake his self-belief.

"I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I play at a high level," Anderson told reporters. "I expect big things from me, no matter where I went: first round, fifth round, seventh round, undrafted."

After Sunday night, it'll be a lot harder for Denver head coach John Fox to drop Anderson in the depth chart once Hillman and Ball are healthy again.

However, Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke wondered how much of a conundrum the issue truly is:

Either way, there's no disputing Anderson's performance. He carried the ball 32 times for 168 yards. Peyton Manning had a hard time throwing the ball with the cold temperatures, so having Anderson there to shoulder the burden helped the Broncos quarterback immensely.

Manning was far from his best, finishing with a lower QB rating than Alex Smith (85.3 vs. 95.0). He went 17-of-34 for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith was a more efficient 15-of-23 for 153 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Unlike Manning's team, though, the Chiefs didn't have much of a running game to speak of. Jamaal Charles rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries.

This was Kansas City's first game since the team announced safety Eric Berry would miss the rest of the season. Doctors discovered a mass on Berry's chest.

The Chiefs' players wore T-shirts supporting the 25-year-old, per NFL on ESPN:

Berry's absence was obvious as the Chiefs struggled to shackle the Broncos offense early on. Denver dominated possession, keeping the ball for 20 minutes and 24 seconds of the first half and out-gaining Kansas City 238 yards to 59 en route to a 20-7 lead.

Anderson was particularly impressive, rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries, which presented a major problem for the Chiefs. Their inability to stop the run meant that Manning and the passing attack would have a much easier go of things.

That was evident by Manning's numbers through the first half (13-of-20, 136 yards, 2 TDs).

About six minutes into the game, Manning found Demaryius Thomas for a 23-yard touchdown to give Denver an early 7-0 lead. Anderson spear-headed the drive, running six times for 31 yards.

Anderson was at the center of Denver's next scoring drive, getting on the end of a 15-yard TD pass from Manning.

Troy Renck of The Denver Post was impressed with how quickly the 23-year-old has made his presence felt on the offense:

The Broncos looked poised to make it a 21-0 game in the second quarter. They managed to set up a 1st-and-goal at the 9-yard line after a successful fake punt and subsequent fourth-down conversion on the drive. However, the Kansas City defense held strong, limiting Denver to a field goal.

Although the Broncos left points on the board, they were decidedly in control of the game.

Burke felt that Kansas City head coach Andy Reid wasn't having his best day:

Staring at a 17-0 deficit, the Chiefs offense finally came to life. It took a little over 20 minutes of game time, but the offense finally moved the chains, per ESPN Stats and Info:

The Chiefs also converted on a fourth down of their own, and two plays later, Smith found tight end Anthony Fasano in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown. Despite playing poorly for a majority of the first half, Kansas City cut the deficit to 10 points, 17-7, with 3:02 left in the first half.

Denver responded 16 seconds from halftime, with Connor Barth nailing his second field goal to give the Broncos a 20-7 advantage heading into the locker room.

Kansas City started strong out of the gate in the third quarter. Justin Houston sacked Manning and forced the Broncos QB to fumble. Chiefs safety Kurt Coleman recovered the ball at the Denver 23-yard line.

Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo marveled at how much bang for the buck Houston's provided Kansas City this year:

Even with the short field, the Chiefs couldn't get to within a score of Denver, settling for a 39-yard field goal from Cairo Santos after a three-and-out to make it 20-10.

The Broncos answered back with two field goals of their own to bump their lead up to 16 points, 26-10 early in the fourth quarter. The team's gone through a few different kickers this year, and Sunday was Barth's first game with the squad. He couldn't have envisaged a better start with his new franchise.

And few could've foreseen his peerless performance. Barth's last field goal in the league before Sunday was nearly two years ago:

The Chiefs made it a 10-point game, 26-16, with 11:46 remaining after a 12-yard touchdown reception by Charles.

Barth nailed his fifth field goal of the night on the next drive to keep Kansas City at bay. In doing so, he tied Jason Elam's franchise record for most field goals in one game, per Patrick Smyth, vice president of public relations for the Broncos:

Barth didn't get a chance to break the record, with Denver controlling the clock late and denying Kansas City any chance at a comeback.

The victory gives the Broncos a two-game lead over the Chiefs in the AFC West and preserves a one-game lead on the San Diego Chargers. Denver and San Diego meet in two weeks in a game that could decide the division. A Broncos win would all but seal first place.

The Chiefs will have an opportunity to rebound against a reeling Arizona Cardinals team.

Kansas City's still alive in the wild-card race, holding a tiebreaker advantage over the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. All of those teams are 7-5, so the Chiefs can't afford to cede any ground in Week 14.