Two AFC Western Division rivals, the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, had 3-1 records as they met in Denver on October 4, 1992. The Broncos had won nine consecutive home games against Kansas City and hoped to keep the string going.
Denver was coached by Dan Reeves for the 12th
year and had reached the AFC Championship game in ’91. As he had been for the
past decade, QB John Elway (pictured above) was the key to the offense and he had a good group
of receivers. The defense was strong at linebacker, led by the aging but
effective ILB Karl Mecklenburg, and at safety with FS Steve Atwater and SS
Dennis Smith. The Chiefs, under Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, featured a
conservative, ball-control offense operated by QB Dave Krieg and a solid
defense with noteworthy performers in DE Neil Smith and OLB Derrick Thomas.
There were 75,629 fans in attendance at Mile High Stadium
on a sunny afternoon. The teams exchanged punts through a scoreless first
quarter. The Chiefs were deep in their own territory at the end of the period
but put together a 94-yard drive in eight plays that concluded with Dave Krieg
throwing to WR Willie Davis for a 50-yard touchdown. Nick Lowery added the
extra point and the visitors held a 7-0 lead.
The Broncos responded with a long scoring drive of 60
yards that took 12 plays. Starting from their 17, RB Gaston Green ran for 11
yards and John Elway threw to WR Mark Jackson (pictured below) for another 12. Three plays
later, facing a third-and-five situation, Elway connected with TE Shannon
Sharpe for eight yards to keep the series going and another pass to Sharpe
gained an additional 14 yards to the Kansas City 33. After a loss, Elway
lateraled to RB Reggie Rivers for a pickup of 17 yards. The drive finally
stalled at the KC 23 and David Treadwell kicked a 41-yard field goal.
The teams again traded punts. The Chiefs, regaining
possession at their 22 with 1:25 left in the first half, moved methodically
down the field and were significantly helped along by a 34-yard pass
interference penalty. Lowery booted a 44-yard field goal on the final play
before halftime to extend Kansas City’s lead to 10-3.
The Chiefs had the first possession of the third quarter
and advanced 62 yards in seven plays. Krieg passed to RB Barry Word for a gain
of 23 yards and twice to WR J.J. Birden for 19 and 17 yards. Lowery again
finished the drive off with a field goal, this time from 36 yards for a 13-3 tally.
Denver went 75 yards in eight plays on its next
possession, with Elway completing throws to WR Arthur Marshall for 21 yards and
TE Reggie Johnson for 48 yards to the KC 11. The Broncos still couldn’t
penetrate the end zone but came away with a 22-yard Treadwell field goal to
narrow Kansas City’s lead to 13-6.
The Chiefs again drove into Denver territory as Krieg
completed four passes, the longest to Birden covering 19 yards. Facing
third-and-ten at the Broncos’ 26, Krieg was sacked by Karl Mecklenburg, thus
setting up a long field goal attempt of 49 yards by Lowery that sailed wide to
the right.
Getting the ball back with 1:15 remaining in the period,
the Broncos immediately moved into scoring territory when Elway passed to
Sharpe for a gain of 48 yards to the Kansas City 21. Elway was sacked on the
next play by Neil Smith for a loss of nine yards but the Broncos were down to
the 19 to start the fourth quarter. Treadwell attempted a 37-yard field goal
that was unsuccessful, but the Chiefs were penalized for running into the
kicker and it meant another try from five yards closer. This time the kick was
blocked by DT Dan Saleaumua.
Kansas City proceeded to put together a 13-play, 60-yard
drive that not only led to more points but used up 8:23 off the clock. The
Chiefs converted a fourth down and a third down along the way and Lowery kicked
a 26-yard field goal to put them ahead by ten points at 16-6 with 6:16 left in
regulation.
It got worse for the Broncos on their first play from
scrimmage following the kickoff when Elway fumbled while being sacked by Smith,
and the defensive end recovered at the Denver 16. Lowery booted a 33-yard field
goal, his fourth of the game, shortly thereafter and the visitors were now
ahead by 19-6 with the clock down to five minutes remaining. Many of the home
fans began to head for the exits.
Elway filled the air with passes on the next series that
started from the Denver 20. Eight of them were complete as the drive covered 80
yards in 14 plays, with three of them caught by Jackson. That included the last
one that he grabbed in the corner of the end zone and covered 25 yards for a
touchdown. Treadwell added the point after and the Broncos were now down by six
points at 19-13 with the clock showing less than two minutes to play.
With Denver using two timeouts, the Chiefs ran the ball
three times from their five yard line following a short kickoff return and
punted. Arthur Marshall came through with a big return of 28 yards to give the
Broncos excellent field position at the KC 27. Elway threw to Marshall twice,
for 11 and four yards, and then connected with WR Vance Johnson for a 12-yard
TD. Treadwell added the all-important extra point and Denver had its first lead
of the day with 38 seconds to go. The Chiefs had one last chance but, after
reaching midfield, a fourth down pass that came up short effectively ended the
game and the Broncos won in dramatic fashion by a final score of 20-19.
The Chiefs had the edge in total yards (369 to 347) and
time of possession (32:24 to 27:36), but were hurt by their inability to score
more than one touchdown and thus settling for four field goals. Each team
accumulated 20 first downs. Kansas City also accounted for five sacks, to three
by the Broncos, and Denver suffered the game’s only turnover.
John Elway completed 23 of 38 passes for 311 yards and
two touchdowns while giving up no interceptions. Shannon Sharpe had 9 catches
for 118 yards while Mark Jackson contributed five receptions for 59 yards and a
TD. Reggie Rivers was Denver’s leading rusher with 34 yards on six carries and
Gaston Green gained 23 yards on his nine attempts.
For the Chiefs, Dave Krieg was successful on 22 of 31
throws for 301 yards and a TD while also not giving up any interceptions.
Willie Davis (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 127 yards and the club’s only touchdown. Barry
Word ran for 84 yards on 21 carries.
“There’s more to that football team than John Elway, like
that defense that kept us without a first down before their final possession,”
said Kansas City’s Coach Schottenheimer of the Broncos.
Denver lost badly the next week but then won three of
four and had a 7-3 record before losing Elway for four games, all of which were
losses. The Broncos finished at 8-8 and third in the AFC West. The Chiefs were
ahead of them in second with a 10-6 tally, ending the regular season by
pummeling Denver at home. Kansas City qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card
and lost to San Diego in the first round.
