Kansas City Chiefs Rewatch: 2009 week 17 vs Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs had one more game to play in the 2009 season and the task was to get win number four, but also to keep the Denver Broncos out of the playoffs.

The 2009 season didn’t go according to plan for the Kansas City Chiefs, but they had one more chance to try and give the fans something to look forward to. They’d close out the 2009 season in the year 2010 and would do so in Denver, Colorado ,as they’d be facing the 8-7 Broncos, who were still vying for a playoff spot.

The last time these two teams met up, it wasn’t pretty. Denver blew out the Chiefs at Arrowhead and the cheers of Broncos fans in the stands that week was an ugly sound.

How would the Kansas City Chiefs close out their first year under Todd Haley?

WEEK 17 VS DENVER BRONCOS: JANUARY 2ND, 2010

Denver and Kansas City actually had the same record throughout their last nine games and that’s crazy considering the Broncos started the season at 6-0. Even with their 2-7 skid, the Broncos were still in the playoff hunt. They had to win this game and hope that either the Ravens or Jets lose their regular season finales.

After going the entire season without scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs got that ugly blemish off their resumé. They got the ball first against the Broncos and drove all the way down the field and capped it off with a touchdown.

The boo birds were out early, as Broncos fans were not happy with the Chiefs getting on the board first and then shutting down the Denver offense on their first drive. Gotta love when Broncos fans are upset!

The Chiefs had something cooking on offense again two drives later, but then Todd Haley got cute and had Tim Castille attempt a pass. Rather than throw the ball away, Castille heaved it down the field right into the arms of Elvis Dumervil. This was when it felt like maybe the hot start was just pure luck and that Denver might get the ball rolling and look more like an eight win team.

Get the ball rolling they did, as the Donkeys scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession to tie things up seven points a piece.

No one expected the game to be tied heading into the locker room at the half, but that’s just what happened, as it was 10-10 after two quarters. Chiefs fans were elated to see their offense make plays and put up points and also to see the defense limit the Broncos’ offensive production.

This very well might have been the Jamaal Charles coming out party, as it was evident that the Broncos made it a point to try and contain him. He was incredibly fun to watch in this game, evading tackles and making defenders look foolish. He was cheap shotted by a Broncos defender at one point and still came back out and made the Denver D look silly.

In fact, Charles added a touchdown on that same drive he was cheap shotted to put KC up by a touchdown and to leave Broncos fans frustrated. It was rare for the Chiefs to score 17 points, so this alone was an accomplishment for the 2009 Chiefs team.

Matt Cassel looked like a totally different quarterback in this game than previous ones, throwing the ball down field on more than one occasion and looking so much more confident. The offensive line had improved throughout the season and the protection for Cassel was certainly helping him feel more comfortable.

In fact, this was the first game in which Cassel was not sacked. Amazing how much better a quarterback plays when he has time to throw.

Derrick Johnson, who had been demoted prior to the 2009 season, had a pick six to put the Chiefs up by ten points and the boo birds returned. He actually had another pick six later on in the game to prove that demoting him was a stupid decision and should never have happened in the first place.

When the fourth quarter rolled around, it was a three point lead for the Chiefs and they could smell the upset. The Broncos, however, had scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter and knew they had to get moving if they wanted to make the playoffs.

As mentioned earlier, Johnson was able to snag another pick six to put the Chiefs up by 13 with nine minutes remaining. The final points of the evening would be scored by Charles – because of course they would – with a 56 yard rushing touchdown and rushing for 259 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Jamaal Charles was here to stay.

When the calendar flipped from one decade to another, the Kansas City Chiefs transformed into both a lethal offense and near shutdown defense (at least more so than they had been throughout the season). They completely beat down a Broncos team who was still fighting to make the playoffs and that’s not something any fan thought would happen after their rough 2009 campaign.

When the final whistle blew, the Chiefs finished the year at 4-12 while the Broncos were 8-8. KC might have only won four games, but their final game showed that maybe – just maybe – this team was trending in the right direction.

REMEMBER THAT GUY?

• Jabar Gaffney was the leading Broncos receiver, grabbing 14 catches for 213 yards.
• After gashing the Chiefs in the run game a month prior, their run game didn’t do much in this one, though Knowshon Moreno had two touchdowns.
• Chris Chambers caught five passes for 80 yards, leading the Chiefs in that department.
• Terrance Copper had just two catches, but 57 total yards.
• It took Glenn Dorsey until week 17 to get his first sack of the season.

The Broncos didn’t have three of their best receivers in this game, but even then, that shouldn’t cause their defense to surrender 44 points to a three-win football team. This was a terrible effort by the Broncos, who looked outmatched against one of the worst teams in the league.

Broncos fans let their feelings be known early on, booing their team after the Chiefs put their first points on the board. The fans also still did the annoying “IN-COM-PLETE” chants, which I honestly thought was a newer trend for them, but I guess not.

This was the best game for the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs, as offense, defense, and special teams all came together and played a complete game. The end result was an absolute butt whooping of the Broncos, whose playoff dreams were dashed with the loss.

Beating the Broncos is always fun, but ruining their playoff hopes made this the game of the 2009 season. We’re used to seeing the Chiefs beat the Broncos now, but it didn’t use to be a common occurrence, so this was a nice change of pace for sure.

That concludes the 2009 Chiefs rewatches, but fear not Chiefs Kingdom! I’ll be rewatching the 2010 season, so be on the lookout for those articles.

Next up (hopefully): 2010 Week 1 vs Chargers (0-0)