KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Peyton Manning made history Thursday night. And not by becoming the first player to announce his retirement during a game. After persistent talk of his demise, Manning showed resolve in the Broncos’ 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs that will long be remembered for Denver’s two touchdowns in nine seconds that came in the last minute of the AFC West game.
With the Broncos trailing 14-0, criticism of Manning could be heard from Arrowhead Stadium to old Mile High. Legends, outside of John Elway, rarely exit on their own terms. There’s an awkward dance of diminished skills and hurt feelings. Manning will leave someday. But not on this day.
“This guy took a lot of (bleep) this week,” coach Gary Kubiak said as he gave Manning a game ball, as shown on postgame video posted online by the Broncos.
Manning beat the Chiefs for a ninth consecutive time — no other quarterback has done that — and the Broncos won their 13th consecutive division road game, an NFL record.
“I feel like a lot of other people read (the criticism),” Manning said. “With teammates, it seems to make them quite angry, and they like to tell me they’re mad. I kind of stay away from the summaries after one game. Let’s play a little football before we summarize who our offense is.”
The identity remains elusive, but progress emerged.
Manning — who’s 39 years old, in case you haven’t heard — finished 26-of-45 passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns, plus an interception returned for a touchdown in a second consecutive game for the first time in his career. What made this night different was the juxtaposition. The Broncos looked awful early, unable to run the ball — they finished with only 61 yards on 22 carries as the offensive line struggled again — to open up play action. Kubiak remains committed to a physical ground game, saying Friday, “It just has to be demanded. It’s not good enough.”
As such, this game required drawing plays in the dirt.
The Broncos used the shotgun formation 31 times after Manning’s interception, relying on vertical routes. It ended the 26-possession touchdown drought for Manning and Denver’s first-string offense dating to the preseason. Emmanuel Sanders scored on a 16-yard reception on a perfect pick-play route.
“I told the guys on the sideline, getting punched in the mouth is good for us. It will wake us up,” said defensive tackle Antonio Smith. “I told them, it’s going to be 14-14 at halftime. You watch.”
He proved prophetic, and the Broncos proved resilient.
Trailing 24-17 with 2:27 left in the fourth quarter, Manning became coldblooded. It was as if the entire night led to this intersection of noise and poise.
“It was crazy how calm he was,” said running back C.J. Anderson.
Manning went 5-of-10 for 75 yards on the TD march. The key was the start, hooking up with Demaryius Thomas for 22 yards on the drive’s first play.
“We couldn’t go out like this,” Thomas said. “On Thursday night, with all that time to think about the loss?”
Sanders finished the drive with his second touchdown reception. With 45 seconds remaining and the ball on the 19-yard line, the Chiefs called a timeout. During the break, Manning and Kubiak told Sanders the play they wanted to run based on recall from training camp.
“I knew I was going to score if I ran a good route,” said Sanders, who exploited safety-high man coverage.
The Chiefs responded with a half-pregnant approach during the final 40 seconds. They decided to run star tailback Jamaal Charles rather than throw the ball. The thinking, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, was “to try and bust one.” Instead they ran the hearts of Chiefs fans through a blender. Charles fumbled.
“It’s one of the hardest feelings that I have had in a long time,” Charles said.
As Charles fell to the ground, Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall knocked the ball loose with his right hand. What happened next turned a sold-out stadium into a library. Denver cornerback Bradley Roby scooped up the fumble and returned it 21 yards for the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left.
That play will leave an imprint in Denver.
“Game. Over,” Roby said.
In a corner of the Broncos’ locker room, Manning reveled in the smiles, the chatter of teammates. You don’t play football at age 39 just for numbers. You play for special moments.
“That,” Manning said after receiving a game ball, “was a great (bleeping) win.”
