SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 30, 2014
Broncos 29, Chiefs 16: Peyton Manning threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes and Connor Barth kicked five field goals as visiting Denver continued its recent dominance of Kansas City.
Manning completed 17-of-34 passes for 179 yards for the Broncos (9-3), who posted their sixth straight win over the Chiefs to maintain their one-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West. Demaryius Thomas and C.J. Anderson made touchdown catches while the latter ran for 168 yards on 32 carries.
Alex Smith went 15-of-23 for 153 yards with two TDs and an interception for the Chiefs (7-5), who fell two games behind Denver in the division. Jamaal Charles gained 35 yards on 10 rushes while catching a touchdown pass and tight end Anthony Fasano also had a scoring reception.
Denver controlled the first half, outgaining Kansas City 238-59 as it carried a 20-7 lead into halftime. Manning connected with Thomas for a 23-yard touchdown just over six minutes into the contest and hit Anderson for a 15-yard score with 1:58 left in the opening quarter to raise his league-leading total to 36 TD passes.
Barth sandwiched short field goals around Smith's 20-yard touchdown toss to Fasano in the second quarter and traded kicks with Cairo Santos in the third before booting a 33-yarder in the first minute of the fourth for a 26-10 advantage. Smith hooked up with Charles for a 12-yard score with 11:46 remaining but failed to complete a pass to Fasano on the two-point conversion attempt, and Barth added a 37-yard field goal with 7:33 left to cement the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning has thrown at least one TD pass in 51 consecutive games, three shy of tying Drew Brees' NFL record. ... Charles' scoring reception gave him a touchdown in seven straight contests, the longest such streak in the NFL this season. He has scored a total of 12 TDs (eight rushing, four receiving) in his last nine games. ... Thomas' touchdown was his 10th of the campaign, making him the second player in team history (Terrell Davis) to reach double digits in three consecutive seasons.