The mistake-prone Broncos are making life easy for the Chiefs so far. First, Jamaal Charles had the ball stripped from his arms by Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who ran 45 yards to the end zone for his first career fumble return for a touchdown.
After the Chiefs forced a Denver punt, Alex Smith threw incomplete on third-and-2 from his own 40. The Chiefs likely would have punted if not for a 15-yard penalty on safety Justin Simmons. Simmons was called for a hit on a defenseless receiver, Demarcus Robinson.
Kelce scored three plays later, beating man-to-man coverage, as he continues to be a Broncos nemesis. His 29-yard touchdown gave the Chiefs a 14-0 lead with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter.
The Broncos then followed with another turnover on their next drive, with quarterback Trevor Siemian throwing an interception to Peters. It was Peters’ third interception of the season.
Peters became the first player to have a fumble return touchdown and an interception in the first quarter of a game since Ravens safety Ed Reed against Washington in 2008.