Broncos up-down drill: Highs and lows for Denver against the Kansas City Chiefs

Up: Remembering Reeves. Former Broncos manager Dan Reeves received the infinitesimal of soundlessness that was warranted pursuing his passing a week agone astatine the property of 77. RIP, coach.

Down: Red and blue. Two colors that were prevalent successful the precocious platform of Empower Field connected Sunday: navy bluish (14,571 nary shows) and K.C. Chiefs red. There whitethorn beryllium nary amended denotation of Vic Fangio’s occupation status.

Up: Drew Un-Locked. Was that Drew Lock oregon Tim Tebow retired determination successful the archetypal half? The numbers done the Broncos’ archetypal 3 drives: 2 completions for 17 yards and 2 rushes for 28 yards and 2 TDs.

Down: A small effort? A forgettable play for Jerry Jeudy began with a forgettable effort connected the opening drive. We don’t inquire for much. Just that our receivers laic retired for agelong passes astatine their digit tips.

Down: Kelce uncovered. A thumbs up to the Chiefs’ play design: choky extremity Travis Kelce feigning a block, past releasing to tally escaped crossed the mediate for a 3-yard TD. A thumbs down to Denver for falling for it.

Up: Special teams gaffes. For once, it was the opponent’s peculiar teams that changeable itself successful the foot. Between Zayne Anderson’s roughing-the-punter flag, and Harrison Butker’s 32-yard, falling-on-his down shank connected a kickoff, K.C.’s peculiar teams gets an assistance for Denver’s archetypal scoring drive.

Down: DB’s hands. Broncos cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Kyle Fuller some dropped gift-wrapped interceptions connected K.C.’s archetypal 2 scoring drives. Tough plays? Sure. But those are ones winning teams make.

Up: Juice is loose. Early driblet aside, Ojemudia enactment unneurotic immoderate coagulated portion successful his archetypal commencement of the play with 3 captious walk breakups and sure-handed, double-digit tackles. Sounds similar a 3rd twelvemonth is successful order.

Down: Touching Mahomes. Bradley Chubb’s glancing stroke of Patrick Mahomes’ helmet aboriginal successful the 2nd 4th was incidental astatine champion and decidedly not roughing the passer. The NFL has yet to marque touching Mahomes amerciable … we think.

Down: Where’s the mutton? For the 2nd consecutive year, Broncos fans were denied a mutton-busting halftime amusement astatine Empower Field. Good quality for PETA. Bad quality for everyone else.

Up: Sutton throwing. Is it a bully oregon atrocious happening that the Broncos’ astir close walk of the archetypal 4th came from wide receiver Courtland Sutton (16 yards to Noah Fant) connected a instrumentality play?

Down: Sutton catching. It’s astir assuredly a atrocious happening that Sutton hasn’t been 1 of the team’s amended pass-catchers since signing his four-year extension. On Sunday, different driblet killed the Broncos’ two-minute thrust astatine the extremity of the archetypal half.

Up: Shelby swinging. After a dilatory commencement to the season, antiaircraft extremity Shelby Harris finished with a bang. His sack connected third-and-long successful the archetypal fractional enactment him astatine 3 1/2 sacks implicit the past 4 weeks.

Down: Open for business. The quality betwixt a tract extremity and touchdown? Missed tackles from Fuller and information P.J. Locke connected a plaything walk to moving backmost Jerick McKinnon (with Bryce Callahan steamrolled astatine the extremity line).

Up: Third-and-strong. We don’t get moving backmost Melvin Gordon’s 47-yard TD successful the 3rd 4th if Lock doesn’t marque an exquisite propulsion betwixt 2 antiaircraft backs connected third-and-13 to Tim Patrick (gain of 31).

Down: Grounds crew. It’s not an casual occupation keeping Empower Field successful playable condition, particularly successful aboriginal January. Judging by each the slipping going connected Saturday, it was other hard this week.

Up: Gordon’s closing statement. With escaped bureau looming this offseason, Gordon made a beardown transportation for different declaration with a 110-yard circuit de unit … close up until that game-changing fumble. Feels similar we’ve been present before, doesn’t it?

Down: Conservative Vic. After spending each play going for it connected 4th down, Fangio clams up down a touchdown connected fourth-and-9 with little than 5 minutes to go? Sounds similar a fitting extremity to the Fangio Era.