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Broncos vs. Chiefs: Score and Twitter Reaction for Sunday Night Football
- Updated: December 26, 2016
A playoff berth, a commanding victory over a division rival, renewed hope in the AFC West race and a touchdown pass from defensive lineman Dontari Poe—it’s safe to say the Kansas City Chiefs had a memorable Christmas.
Kansas City handled the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, 33-10, to move to 11-4 on the season and 6-2 at home. The Broncos lost their third straight game and dropped to 8-7, which eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions from the playoff picture.
The Chiefs already announced they clinched the playoffs when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens, but they are just one game behind the Oakland Raiders with one game remaining in the AFC West. Kansas City also owns the tiebreaker with two head-to-head wins.
Kansas City overwhelmed Denver with a 21-point first quarter and never looked back. Alex Smith threw for 244 yards, one touchdown and one interception and added 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Travis Kelce spearheaded the pass-catching attack with 160 receiving yards and a score.
Kelce did something not even the great Tony Gonzalez did, per NFL on ESPN:
Travis Kelce now has 161 Rec yards tonight. Tony Gonzalez never gained more than 150 Rec yards with the Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/QdnodSmuU3
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 26, 2016
Tyreek Hill’s breakthrough continued with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Despite the impressive showings from a number of players, it was Poe’s jump-pass touchdown to Demetrius Harris that turned heads in the closing minutes. It came after Denver called timeout to stop the clock with the game essentially over at 27-10 and less than two minutes left.
The NFL passed along the amusing touchdown:
6-3. 346lbs. @PoeMans_dream is a defensive tackle…And he just threw a TD for the @Chiefs. Yes, really. https://t.co/lSTz7iB5kG
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2016
Our new favorite QB #DENvsKC pic.twitter.com/BIdIGP0ubZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 26, 2016
On the other side, Trevor Siemian threw for 183 yards and an interception. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweeted: “A lot of the blame for Denver’s offensive collapse will land on Trevor Siemian’s shoulders. I’d argue the line was a MUCH bigger issue.”
That line didn’t open many holes for the running game, as Devontae Booker’s 27 rushing yards was a team high.
Denver was significantly shorthanded on the defensive side. Aric DiLalla of the team’s website noted defensive back T.J. Ward and linebacker Brandon Marshall were among the inactives. Ben Swanson of the Broncos’ website provided updates on cornerback Kayvon Webster and defensive lineman Derek Wolfe, who were ruled out with a concussion and neck …
