DENVER — For nearly 20 years, the men tasked with protecting Denver Broncos quarterbacks, from John Elway to Jake Plummer to Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning, have hid in the shadows and shielded themselves from public view.
In Denver, more so than anywhere else in the NFL, offensive linemen want to be ignored, in good times and certainly in bad. But the spotlight on the Broncos' offensive line could not have been brighter this week, as the Broncos' Super Bowl hopes are so firmly linked to keeping Manning healthy.
What better time, then, for the Broncos offensive line to play its best game of the season.
BOX SCORE: Broncos 27, Chiefs 17
For the Denver Broncos, the final score was nice — a 27-17 win against the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, a win that puts the Broncos atop the AFC West, but the bigger win was that Manning went home Sunday night just as healthy as when he arrived at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
"They were under fire this week because Peyton got hit a few times (last week against the San Diego Chargers), but they've done a great job all year. I was proud of them," interim head coach Jack Del Rio said. "We knew this was going to be a game where you had to play well in the trenches to have a chance."
Manning wasn't sacked, and in fact, was barely touched by Tamba Hali or Justin Houston or Dontari Poe or Derrick Johnson. The vaunted Chiefs pass rush that racked up 36 sacks in Kansas City's first nine games never showed up. In fact, the only time that Manning hit the grass Sunday night was when he dove in front of Johnson, who had recovered a fumble on a botched handoff between Manning and running back Montee Ball.
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"Our goal is always to keep him clean, but unfortunately in the league it's not going to happen every game. But for it to happen against an elite pass rush team, it give us a little extra good feeling that we were able to keep him clean and keep him healthy," center Manny Ramirez told USA TODAY Sports. "We were all focused, we all communicated well, we kept the pocket firm in the middle, we were able to let the tackles run their guys around and, of course, Peyton gets rid of the ball quick, so that was an extra plus for us. It just came together for us today."
Manning needed a day off from practice, extra time in the training room and ice tub and layers upon layers of ankle tape to get ready for Sunday's game against the Chiefs — signs that the 30 hits and 13 sacks, including eight over the previous three games, have taken a toll on his 37-year-old body.
What the Broncos did Sunday night in beating the Chiefs was learn how to win even while Manning is ailing.
It started with that offensive line, and included both running backs Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball, who combined for 104 yards on 35 carries. It sure wasn't glamorous at just under 3 yards per carry, but it was effective, especially Ball's two touchdown runs.
The Broncos' 27 points against Kansas City was its lowest output of the season, yet it was 10 points more than any team has scored on the Chiefs defense all season.
"As much as we'd love to score 40 points in every game, we don't have to every game. We could win by one and that's all we need. We're going to put up what we can," Ramirez said.
As both teams move to 9-1, it sets up what should be an epic rematch at Arrowhead Stadium in two weeks.
Perhaps things will be different for the Chiefs defense then, with a raucous crowd on their side. But the questions about Kansas City's offense will likely remain. In another chance to match scores with Manning, will Alex Smith and the Chiefs do a better job of keeping up?
Though it appeared Sunday that the Chiefs made more of an effort to create explosives plays, the offense often just fizzled. Half of Kansas City's 14 possessions spanned less than 10 yards. Smith completed 21-of-45 passes and threw a pair of touchdowns, but he was also sacked three times.
The Chiefs also missed scoring chances when Denver forced a field goal when the Chiefs failed on three consecutive running plays from the 2-yard line, and chose not to attempt a very long field goal at the end of the first half.
Before the big rematch in two weeks, the Chiefs have another AFC West game next week against San Diego, while the Broncos travel to New England for another crucial conference game.
The Broncos have several injury situations beyond Manning's ankle to monitor. Receiver Wes Welker, the former Patriot, suffered a concussion and will have to pass several tests to be cleared to play against his former team. Tight end Julius Thomas, who scored his 10th touchdown of the season on Sunday, left the game with a lower leg injury, as did starting safety Rahim Moore.
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