Three weeks after getting thoroughly embarrassed at home by the Oakland Raiders, the Denver Broncos (partially) redeemed themselves with a 49-29 beating of the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver was up 21-0 by the end of the first quarter getting three straight touchdown passes from Kyle Orton. They led 35-0 midway through the second quarter and essentially had the game over well before halftime, proving that the Broncos’ coaches made excellent use of the bye week.
Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno, and Brandon Lloyd put up stats and made plays like they were John Elway, Terrell Davis, and Rod Smith. Orton hit Brandon Lloyd with a 37-yard pass down the middle on the team’s opening drive, setting up a touchdown four plays later. Lloyd caught the pass in traffic and had to dive for the ball making an incredible catch. Lloyd also hauled in a six-yard touchdown on their next drive, and he rounded out his terrific afternoon with a 15-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter. The 8th-year receiver from Illinois finished with 90 yards on six catches and two touchdowns, missing out on his 6th 100-yard game of the season by 10 yards.
Though the passing game exploded against Kansas City, the running game got going too. Second-year running back Knowshon Moreno had his first career 100-yard game, rushing for 106 yards on 22 carries. Moreno also took a short pass from Orton for a touchdown on the opening drive and finished with 50 yards receiving on three catches. Kyle Orton’s final stat line was 22/34 for 296 yards and four touchdowns. I have no idea what got into Denver in week 10, but their receivers were making spectacular catches and everything seemed to be working. I won’t get carried away here, but they looked pretty darn good. And having Knowshon Moreno healthy makes a huge difference for this team.
Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images; AP Photo/Joe Mahoney
