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Broncos defeat mistake-prone Chiefs

Nov 11, 2007 - 11:36 PM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) - The Denver Broncos got a boost from Jay Cutler and took advantage of four turnovers to post a 27-11 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Playing with a sore left leg, Cutler passed for 192 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos (4-5) snapped a two-game losing streak and won for only the second time in the last seven games.

Cutler injured his left knee in last week's 44-7 loss to the Detroit Lions, when he landed awkwardly between two defenders, and it initially was feared he suffered a stress fracture.

But an MRI exam turned out to be negative and Cutler showed enough improvement during the week to get the start.

"After the MRI came back and said I was good to go, I knew from that point I was going to play," Cutler said. "Being a quarterback and one of the captains, I take a lot of pride in that, in being out there. I know they are fighting for me."

Cutler was unspectacular but steady, completing 17-of-29 passes and helping the Broncos post a much-needed victory. He shook off a hit late in the second period that briefly set him to the sidelines.

"I felt good the whole game," Cutler said. "I took that shot in the two-minute drill (at the end of the first half) and had to come out a little bit. It was a little sore - and I knew it was going to be - but nothing too dramatic."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was happy to his starting quarterback back at the controls.

"He played pretty good," Shanahan said. "I thought he made a couple of plays and I think he would probably like to have a couple of plays back as well.

"That's the nature of this game. You have to find a way to make some plays when nothing is there and I thought he did that a couple of times."

The Broncos also were aided by the Chiefs' mistakes, collecting two touchdowns in a span of nine seconds early in the second half to grab a 20-8 lead.

"We made some big plays in the third quarter and were up 14 points off of three plays," Shanahan said. "It was a good team win. We had a lot of penalties, but we still found a way to win."

"It was one of those games where momentum is key," Kansas City coach Herm Edwards added. "It was a competitive game in the first half and then (there were) two costly mistakes where we turned the ball over offensively and it's a 14-point swing all of a sudden."

Following Dre Bly's interception of Damon Huard on the third play of the half, Selmon Young ran 20 yards around the right end for the game's first touchdown and a 13-8 Denver lead.

"We saw from watching film that they were bringing the safety and their defense was filling the holes," Young said. "If we run into that we're running into darkness. The backside was open and (Shanahan) called a good call."

On the Chiefs' next play from scrimmage, Elvis Dumervil knocked the ball loose from Huard and Nate Webster returned the fumble 17 yards for a 20-8 lead just 1:37 into the third quarter.

Huard committed three turnovers, fumbling once and throwing a pair of interceptions. He was benched in favor of Brodie Croyle in the second half, completing 6-of-15 passes for just 83 yards.

"I had a tough day today," Huard said. "You can put this one right on me. To turn the ball over the way I did you're not going to have a chance to win. It's not good enough."

"We needed to get something going offensively," Edwards added. "We just felt at that time, when the score became what it became and we were struggling on offense, that we needed a spark. I thought Brodie came in and drove the team at times."

Croyle completed 17-of-30 passes for 162 yards, but Kansas City's offense consisted of three field goals by Dave Rayner. His 39-yarder cut Denver's lead to 20-11 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.

Cutler responded, tossing an 18-yard touchdown strike to Daniel Graham that capped the scoring with 10:44 left in the game.

After the teams traded field goals in the first quarter, the Chiefs (4-5) grabbed a 5-3 lead when Bernie Pollard blocked Todd Sauerbrun's punt through the back of the end zone for a safety with 14:35 left in the second quarter.

Jason Elam's 50-yard field goal gave the Broncos a 6-5 lead with 9:18 left in the second quarter. Elam's kick hit the back of the crossbar and bounced through.

The battle of field goals continued, as Rayner connected from 36 yards to put Kansas City back ahead, 8-6, with 2:40 remaining in the first half.

Denver and Kansas City ranked 27th and 28th, respectively, in scoring entering Sunday's contest, and both teams played without their leading rushers.

Young filled in for Travis Henry, who was out with a knee injury, and carried 20 times for 109 yards and a touchdown.

"It was a great feeling," Young said of scoring the first touchdown of his NFL career. "It felt just like I thought it would."

"He's a little bit faster than most people think," Shanahan added. "He has great quickness and we've been able to see it. Kansas City is probably surprised by his speed now."

For the Chiefs, Priest Holmes replaced Larry Johnson, who was inactive due to a foot injury suffered last week against the Packers.

Holmes, seeing his first significant action in nearly two years, rushed for 65 yards on 20 attempts and caught two passes for 14 yards.

"That's a lot for him, all of a sudden," Edwards said. "He did a good job. He hit some holes and made some on his own and made some guys miss."

"Without a victory, it's not quite what you want it to be," Holmes said of his return to the starting lineup. "I just wanted to try to put the ball in the right place. I would have like to have had more opportunities in the red zone."

The Broncos snapped a four-game losing streak at Arrowhead Stadium, earning their first win here since a 37-34 overtime victory in 2002.

"They have the best home record in the National Football League over the last five or six years," Shanahan said. "They play well here and it's nice to come out with a win."