Chiefs vs Broncos - Game 2
Sep 11, 2006, 10:38:20 AM by Pete Moris
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-1)
AT
DENVER BRONCOS (0-1)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2006 – 3:15 PM (CENTRAL)
INVESCO FIELD AT MILE HIGH – DENVER, COLORADO
TV: CBS National Coverage (KCTV-5 in Kansas City) – Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.
NATIONAL RADIO: Sports USA Radio – Larry Kahn, Gary Barnett and Troy West.
LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) – Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby.
THE MATCH-UP
Kansas City travels to Denver for a pivotal early-season AFC West contest at INVESCO Field this Sunday in a match-up that will be broadcast to a national television audience by CBS. Both clubs are seeking their initial victory of the season after suffering tough defeats on Opening Day. The Chiefs are coming off a 23-10 loss vs. Cincinnati (9/10) at Arrowhead, while the Broncos return home after being handed an 18-10 setback at St. Louis (9/10).
An issue much more important than the outcome of an NFL game weighed on the minds of the Chiefs organization as two-time Pro Bowl QB Trent Green was hospitalized after the Cincinnati game. Green suffered a head trauma after receiving a violent blow to the head while attempting to slide during the third quarter of the Chiefs-Bengals contest. Green has been a stabilizing force for the Chiefs since his arrival in Kansas City in a trade with St. Louis in 2001. Over that span, Green has started 81 consecutive contests – the longest streak in franchise history by a QB – and has etched his name at or near the top of every passing chart in franchise history.
Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards is adept at dealing with adversity and is fully prepared to guide his Chiefs squad into Denver this week with the goal of securing Kansas City’s first-ever victory at INVESCO Field. While that task would become more daunting should Green not be available this week, the Chiefs own an experienced backup in QB Damon Huard, who finished last week’s contest against the Bengals and owns a 5-1 record as an NFL starter.
No matter the season or the circumstances, the Chiefs-Broncos rivalry always provides its share of close games and fantastic finishes. Just two points separate the two clubs in their last four meetings with Kansas City holding a slim 110-108 scoring edge. In fact, 26 of the last 32 outings in this series have been won by the squad scoring last.
The Chiefs enjoy an early bye next Sunday (9/24) before resuming their schedule with a home date vs. San Francisco (10/1). The Broncos travel to New England (9/24) before taking their bye weekend (10/1).
THE SERIES
Kansas City holds a 51-41-0 (.554) all-time advantage over Denver in the 92 previous meetings between the two clubs (91 regular season, one postseason). Those 51 wins vs. the Broncos are more than the Chiefs have amassed against any other franchise.
Kansas City is still seeking its initial victory at INVESCO Field and is attempting to end a five-game losing streak at Denver. The Chiefs last road victory against the Broncos came in 2000 when Gunther Cunningham was serving as the Chiefs head coach. Kansas City posted a 23-22 victory (9/24/00) as the club overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to claim the win. Cunningham posted a perfect 4-0 regular season record vs. Denver as KC’s head coach.
The Chiefs and Broncos split their season series with each squad winning at home for the third consecutive year in 2005. Denver claimed a 30-10 victory at INVESCO Field (9/26/05), while the Chiefs produced a 31-27 win at Arrowhead (12/5/05). The home team has won the last seven contests in this AFC West rivalry. The last time the road squad prevailed in a Kansas City-Denver contest was a 37-34 OT victory by the Broncos at Arrowhead (10/20/02).
The Texans/Chiefs won 25 of the first 27 games in this series between these two original American Football League teams. Denver then responded by claiming wins in 26 of the next 37 contests. The Broncos produced a 14-10 victory in the only postseason meeting between the two teams, a ‘97 AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Arrowhead (1/4/98).
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
