As it is, I knew I'd be posting at the end of this game because I'm just not going to be able to stay up late finishing this. As I write Travis Kelce just dropped his third pass of the game on a pretty poor throw by Smith.
Anyway, the Broncos are now ahead 17-16. Alex Smith just threw another crappy pass on 3rd down, that makes ELEVEN 3rd down opportunities we've simply not converted in this game. Indeed that is the one thing I'm putting down as I watch this game, that's really it. How many 3rd downs we have and what we do with them.
Yes, it's been really crappy.
Yes, I know Denver has a terrific defense, and they've been playing it tonight. They've been terrific. But just like I shared in my preview blog post, our offense can take them if we play like we mean it.
As it is, about five minutes left, the Chiefs have the Broncos backed up against their own endzone. We still have a chance. It's only 17-16. Nine of those points came from our defense (a Justin Houston forced safety) and special teams (a nice long kick return touchdown from Tyreek Hill).
Just then Trevor Siemian throws a 3rd-and-long strike to get the 1st down. Clutch for them.
Again again again, how come Siemian can throw that key strike, but Alex Smith is just flailing about out there. Again again again again again AGAIN, it is (a) Alex Smith just not having what it takes to get it done and (b) the coaches not giving Alex Smith the plays he can make. It is both. It is a combo abomination.
The Chiefs are starting to burn time-outs, something around three minutes left.
Those eleven 3rd down non-conversions, many of them were 3rd-&-long, with too many of them because of Chiefs penalties. Yes the Broncos did their fine defense and sacking thing, that helped them. Give them credit.
Now they have 3rd-&-2.
Annnd... we have a blown coverage, they get a touchdown pass, 76 yards. Can you believe it. 24-16.
We are now starting a drive to try to tie with two minutes left.
We're still driving. Making a few plays, but sucking at some. We've gotten down to the red zone. The announcer just said we're one of the worst in the red zone this year. That's nice.
Now it's 4th-&-10, and dang-it Smith gets the ball to Tyreek Hill for the 1st down.
And then Hill catches it one inch from the goal line and is stopped.
Official review. One second left.
They rule Hill gets the touchdown. Wow. Because he bobbled it he had possession once he fell into the end zone.
24-22. Now the two-point conversion attempt.
We get it! We get the two-point conversion! Demetrius Harris uses his 8-foot 9-inch big body to screen out their terrific but smallish D-back to get it!
Now it's overtime. Sorry for all the italics there, but I'm keeping them because that whole Chiefs drive was surreal.
WIn or lose, this team had a drive where they meant it. They wanted to score, they made it happen.
That's pretty cool.
We still have major issues, major major issues. Even though Denver's defense is very good, we still have to beat them. Yeah, for a bright shining moment there we had them on their heels.
Our defense was dominant early, but now we're letting this little-experience quarterback carve us up. In fact right there as I write this we miss two shots at the interception. Through the hands of our linebacker and off the hands of the D-back.
And a lot of it is their wide receivers. They're just killing our smaller, inexperienced, and I'm sure mile-high exhausted defensive backs.
They get the field goal, so it's now 27-24, and we must score to keep this game going.
Another test of our meaning it. Of our coaches making the calls. Of Alex Smith making it happen like he can. Right now we'll get the kick-off, likely to start at the 25. Will there be play action? Will there be a moving pocket? Will Smith throw strikes? Will they mix it up with Spencer Ware -- they even said earlier he was a high school quarterback, how about a surprising halfback option pass?
And there's De'Anthony Thomas returning it to the 35! DAT is back! Maybe that's a start!
Nkay, so here're the plays. Might as well...
1. (After Denver penalty for too many men on field) Vanilla run to Ware. Little or no gain. That's nice.
2. Pass to Tyreek Hill at the marker. 1st down.
3. Counter run to West. Gains a couple.
4. Long pass to Kelce, right on the money! 1st down deep into Denver territory.
5. Ware gets the edge, good yardage. 2nd-&-3.
6. West with a nice little run, 1st down, in the red zone. Let's not suck here, please.
7. Davis run, little gain.
8. Incomplete pass, Smith's arm was hit when it was going forward. 3rd-&-9. Chiefs timeout. Smith may have issues with his arm. This is worrisome.
9. Kelce can't locate Smith's lob pass, incomplete. Would've been a 1st down. Santos in for the field goal attempt, and he makes it. 27-27, with about four minutes left in overtime.
Yet again, here on offense, we did some fine things, and did some other things that were very messed up. Again, to me, it's just our fine players making plays when they can, but darn-it I just wonder why we're not making more of those plays earlier on. All those miserable attempts to move the ball early and just not getting it done.
Now our defense needs to not be too exhausted. Good luck with that. The Broncos already got a first down. They've already gotten to midfield. Now they're getting close to field goal range after another 1st down from a 3rd down conversion.
Next score wins.
Now they have 3rd-&-10 again, after Chris Jones bats the ball down. There's Chris Jones, very nice. And Phillip Gaines makes a great stop with the coverage. They have 4th-&-10 and it'd be a 60+ yard field goal. There's about a minute left.
Well, they're going to try it. It'll be a 62-yard attempt. Very risky.
And they miss it. Chiefs get the ball at midfield.
Okay, here're the plays. Here we go again.
1. Smith scrambles for some yardage, and the announcer just said one of our receivers was flying along the sideline, wide open -- there they're showing it, Albert Wilson.
2. Nice completion to Hill, we have the ball close to the 30.
3. Nice completion to Kelce, down inside the 20.
4. Santos in. The kick is up -- IT'S OFF THE UPRIGHT -- AAAAAAAGH!
BUT IT GOES THROUGH.
Are you even kidding me. We actually get a goofy field goal thing like this to go our way. I'm watching that ball head toward the upright and at the last second I saw it swerve back toward the inside part of that upright, and thinking, yes, that could still slip through.
It did.
My faith is renewed. They fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and
Got it done in prime-time in an amazing show of Chiefs football.
Just talked with my son on the phone -- I just missed this factoid, but he said they mentioned it -- that Tyreek Hill is the first player since Gale Sayers in 1965 to score a touchdown run, touchdown catch, and touchdown kick return in the same game. Wow, yeah, you're right, tonight he did do that.
Whupp, got to go to bed, what fun it was to transcribe all this in the blog post. Hope you enjoy reading it all. How intense was it to watch, that's for sure.
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