After a sluggish start, the Chiefs and Broncos are beginning to play like teams with a loss between them.
Peyton Manning hit a pair of big passes to his reliable targets, a 70-yarder to DeMaryius Thomas which set up a touchdown pass to Julius Thomas.
But Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith responded with a patient, 11-play drive, hitting Dwayne Bowe for a touchdown pass to cut the Broncos lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter.
The Chiefs took a hit on defense, losing defensive end Mike DeVito to a left knee injury. But otherwise, they’ve weathered the early storm in Denver, and responded offensively when they needed a play. It was the first offensive touchdown in seven quarters, and it came just in time.