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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Chiefs did a huge favor
for a hated rival when they found their long-missing rushing game.
Tony Richardson ran for 156 yards, the most by a Kansas City
back in a decade, and the Chiefs totaled a season-best 264 rushing
yards in a 20-7 victory over Denver on Sunday that did a lot more
than merely stop the Broncos' six-game winning streak.
|  | | Tony Richardson's 156 rushing yards were the most by a Chief in 10 seasons. |
Denver (10-5) could have pulled even with Oakland (11-4) in the
AFC West and owned the tiebreaker over the Raiders with one game to
go. But the Broncos couldn't even score an offensive touchdown
against a team that had lost five of six and ranked 26th in the
league with an anemic running attack averaging only 82 yards per
game.
"We came out very flat," Denver wide receiver Rod Smith said.
"We stayed that way and lost the game."
Richardson, on his 29th birthday, totaled more yards rushing
than any Chiefs runner since Barry Word got 200 in 1990.
"Today's my birthday, and the offensive line dug in and went a
little harder to try and get me 100 yards," Richardson said.
"That was an excellent birthday present."
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Chiefs: Where did the Chiefs' running game come
from?
Donahoe: The Chiefs have gone more to the running game in recent
weeks. Last week Tony
Richardson showed flashes of running brilliance in gaining 80-plus
yards. The Chiefs already have an explosive pass offense featuring
quarterback Elvis
Grbac, tight end Tony
Gonzalez and wide receiver Derrick
Alexander. If they can develop some consistency in the running game, the
Chiefs can become a highly potent offensive team. They have to be pleased
with their running results the last two weeks.
Question on the Broncos: What happened to the Broncos' offense?
Donahoe: The Broncos struggled today, failing to score an offensive
touchdown. Much of the problem cam be attributed to Kansas City's time of
possession. The Chiefs' defense was good, but it may have been the ability
of the Chiefs' offense to run the ball and control the clock that was the
biggest nemesis for Denver's offense. Even though Gus
Frerotte has done a good job as backup quarterback, the Broncos won't go
far in the playoffs unless Brian
Griese is able to return and get back into the offensive flow.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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Rookie Frank Moreau had 59 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs
(7-8), who have swept their season series against the Broncos two
years straight.
The Chiefs had not had such a big rushing game since getting 310
yards against Detroit in the same game Word had 200.
"That's what this team is capable of doing," center Tim
Grunhard said. "And to do it against that kind of defense -- those
are some formidable guys in there."
To win the AFC West and avoid wild-card status, the Broncos will
have to beat San Francisco next week and hope Oakland loses at home
to Carolina.
"I don't think I'll be getting a bouquet or a Christmas card
from (Oakland owner Al Davis)," said Chiefs GM Carl Peterson, who
earlier in the week agreed to a five-year contract.
"I thought about that at the end of the game."
The Broncos, who scored more than 30 points each of their four
previous games, failed to get an offensive touchdown for the first
time since the 1999 regular-season finale.
"All in all, I think this was our best defensive effort of the
year," said defensive end Eric Hicks, whose two sacks pushed his
total to 14, the most since Neil Smith had 15 in 1993.
The Broncos' only score came on a special teams play
by Kansas City's Kevin Lockett, who was hit in the helmet on a punt
that was recovered in the end zone by Denver's Jason Suttle.
"We had all the reasons to find a way to win this game, play
extremely hard for what was on the line," Denver coach Mike
Shanahan said. "Kansas City wasn't really playing for anything
except pride. They came out and beat us in all phases."
The Broncos led 7-3 in the third when Richardson went through a
big hole for 23 yards. Then quarterback Elvis Grbac, never known
for his nifty footwork, slipped two tackles on a 19-yard run to the
4, setting up a 2-yard touchdown run by Moreau that gave the Chiefs
a 10-7 lead.
Then, with 7:14 to go, Richardson went around left end on a
28-yard TD gallop.
Todd Peterson, who had a 40-yard field goal in the first
quarter, tacked on a 27-yarder with 33 seconds to play.
Lockett, a former Kansas State star, was standing near the
10-yard line when Tom Rouen's punt dropped through the frigid air.
Then Lockett inexplicably turned his back to the ball and took a
step toward the goal line.
The ball hit him on the helmet, bounced at the 2 and rolled into
the end zone, where Suttle covered it.
"He didn't really give me an explanation," Chiefs coach
Gunther Cunningham said.
Mike Anderson, who had rushed for more than 100 yards the three
previous games, had only 62 yards on 12 carries as the Broncos were
held to just 66 net yards rushing.
"I never thought I'd see the day as an offense when we wouldn't
get any points on the board," Anderson said. "Today was not fun
at all."
Game notes
Richardson's 33-yard carry in the second
quarter was the longest of his career. ... Hicks has four sacks in
the last two games. ... Denver was held to single digits for just
the fifth time since Shanahan became head coach in 1995. The
Broncos had been trying for a team-record five straight 30-point
games. ... The Chiefs posted their first back-to-back season sweeps
of the Broncos since 1971-72.
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ALSO SEE
Denver Clubhouse
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Howard Griffith says Denver did not play well on field against Kansas City.
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Elvis Grbac stops to talk with ESPN's Ed Werder after the Chiefs' 20-7 win over the Broncos.
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FROM
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