C.J. Anderson went over 100 yards for the second consecutive game, leading a revitalized ground attack in the Denver Broncos' 29-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Our takeaways:
- Anderson is leading the NFL in rushing yards (445) and yards from scrimmage (649) over the last four weeks. The offensive line is in a groove with Will Montgomery taking over at center and Louis Vasquez kicking out to right tackle, with Paul Cornick coming on as a sixth lineman in running situations. Establishing the run to prevent defenses from blitzing Peyton Manning, the Broncos have churned out more than 200 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since the Tim Tebow era. The balanced offense bodes well for the stretch run, when defense and the running game take on greater importance in the elements.
- Speaking of the elements, Sunday's game provided more fodder for the theory that Manning struggles in blustery conditions: His 50.0 completion rate was the lowest of his Broncos career and his 5.3 yards per attempt was the lowest of hisseason. His obvious lack of arm strength hasn't been an issue in ideal conditions, but it has hampered him when wind is a factor -- as it was in Arrowhead Stadium.
- The Broncos' defense dominated this game from start to finish, sacking Alex Smith five times and hitting him five more. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware continue to function as the most terrifying pass-rushing combination in the league while linebacker Brandon Marshall has emerged as one of the game's premier weak-side linebackers. This was a nice bounce-back performance for a unit that had allowed 29.5 points per over the past month.
- The Chiefs were simply outclassed by a better team. Entering the game, Andrew Luck had generated more touchdowns on passes that traveled at least 20 yards in the air than Alex Smith had attempted passes over 20 yards this season. That limited offense was an issue for the second consecutive week, as they managed just 64 net yards by the start of the fourth quarter. The problems aren't limited to one side of the ball. The run defense has been gouged for 199 yards per game over the past three weeks.
- Denver is alone in first place while Kansas City dropped to third place in the AFC West. The Chiefs will have to win at least three of their final four games at Arizona, versus Oakland, at Pittsburgh and versus San Diego.
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