Denver Broncos Put Chokehold on AFC West with Well-Rounded Win over Chiefs

It wasn't the most dominant win, but the Denver Broncos took care of business on Sunday Night Football.

With a 29-16 Week 13 win against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos have all but locked down another AFC West crown this season. They improve to 9-3 on the season, and have two head-to-head wins against the Chiefs and one against the San Diego Chargers. 

Anything can happen in the NFL, but with the four games left in the regular season, the Broncos would need to suffer an incredibly historic collapse to not finish the season with a divisional title and one of the best records in the AFC. 

Perhaps more important than the win itself was how the Broncos won. 

This was a team victory, and that's important heading into the final weeks of the season. 

With the Broncos having an offense that is so potentially prolific, we'd like to see 20- to 30-point victories more often than they have delivered them this season. In fact, we expect to see a lot less trouble against defenses tougher than what Denver itself has showcased in recent weeks. 

That said, this team can win with quarterback Peyton Manning carrying them on his shoulders. That they can win in multiple facets of the game as they did against the Chiefs is impressive. Frankly, it should be extremely comforting for Broncos fans watching the running game and defense factoring into a win just as much as Manning does. 

Against the Chiefs, Manning was 17-of-34 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. It was more of a "game manager" role than we're used to from one of the best quarterbacks the game has ever seen, but it was effective against a Kansas City defense that can make a passer look much worse. 

Instead of Manning, the Broncos leaned on running back C.J. Anderson, who finished the game with 168 yards. Overall, the Broncos rushed 45 times, which provided a run-pass ratio that may not light up any fantasy football stat sheets but could serve this team well. 

Especially when the defense plays like it. 

Look, the standard one-game disclaimer applies here, as does taking any defensive effort against the lackluster Chiefs offense with a hefty grain of salt. So, don't think I'm implying the Broncos are going to win a Super Bowl solely because of their defensive efforts, but it's heartening to see it pitch in the way it did at Arrowhead. 

The Broncos sacked Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith six times and hit him 12 additional times. They held Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles to only 35 yards rushing on 10 attempts and (along with their special teams) created three Chiefs turnovers. 

"

For the eighth time in nine seasons, DeMarcus Ware has double-digit sacks. Lot of gas left in tank when he left Dallas.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 1, 2014"

Denver also scored 15 points with its kicking game and recent addition Connor Barth. Though all were relative chip shots, the degree of difficulty with a cross wind in Kansas City adds some extra reason to believe he can be trusted down the road. 

Along with the aforementioned upcoming game against the Chargers in Week 15, the Broncos host Buffalo next week and then finish the season with a trip to Cincinnati and a home game against the Oakland Raiders. 

That's an entirely winnable, but tough, slate of games. 

Buffalo presents another tough defense that will come after Manning, and the Bengals are one of the few teams with enough bodies at defensive back to at least challenge the Broncos' passing attack. The Chargers put up a fight in the first matchup of the season (though this current Chargers team seems to have lost some of its early-season luster), and the Raiders will be playing for little else but pride, yet have shown they can pressure quarterbacks as of late. 

For Denver to run the table as a team of their caliber should expect to do to close out the season, they'll need more weeks like this. It can't just be Manning and Co. any more—it has to be a full team effort. 

Against the Chiefs, the Broncos took full control of the AFC West by giving just that. 

If they continue doing the same headed into the playoffs, they'll be one of the most dangerous teams in the field. 

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.