Visitor:  Denver Broncos

Home:  Kansas City Chiefs

Date:  January 4, 1998

AFC Divisional Playoff

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

DEN                0          7          0          7            14

KC                  0          0          10        0            10

 

Visitor playmakers:

RB Terrell Davis, CB Darrien Gordon, DE Alfred Williams, DE Neil Smith

 

Home playmakers:

TE Tony Gonzalez, DE John Browning, S Reggie Tongue, S Jerome Woods

 

Network:  NBC  (KSDK St. Louis)

Announcers:  Dick Enberg, Phil Simms

 

Pregame:  No – JIP just after kickoff

Halftime:  No

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  8.5/10

 

Notes:  The two teams with the AFC’s best regular season records squared off as Kansas City (13-3) and (cheatin’ silicone-sprayed jersey-wearin’) Denver (12-4) met for the first time in postseason play.  The Chiefs boasted the NFL’s top scoring defense (14.5 ppg), while the Broncos owned the league’s number one scoring offense (29.5 ppg).  But it was Denver that claimed a 14-10 victory in what would be the final contest of RB Marcus Allen’s storied Hall of Fame career.

 

Kansas City outgained Denver by 303 to 272 total yards and held a +2 edge in the turnover column, but an inability to put points on the board in several key situations cost the Chiefs a chance to host the AFC Championship Game.  After the two teams battled through a scoreless first quarter, KC appeared to get on the board first, but was flagged for holding on a 34-yard FG by K Pete Stoyanovich, who had missed just one FG during the regular season.  However, Stoyanovich’s ensuing 44-yard attempt went wide left to leave the count at 0-0.

 

Denver QB John Elway then marched the Broncos on an eight-play, 65-yard scoring drive that culminated with a one-yard TD run by RB Terrell Davis, who would finish the game with 25 carries for 101 yards.  KC could not get back into scoring range, as the Broncos took a 7-0 lead into the intermission.

 

Chiefs QB Elvis Grbac opened the second half with a 34-yard pass to WR Andre Rison, who finished the day with 110 receiving yards, the third-highest total in Chiefs postseason history.  The game’s most pivotal sequence would follow.  Facing third-and-goal at the Denver 3, Grbac connected with rookie TE Tony Gonzalez, who appeared to be forced out of the end zone by Broncos CB Darrien Gordon.  However, the play was ruled an incompletion, forcing the Chiefs to settle for a 20-yard FG to cut the gap to 7-3.

 

With Denver posed at the Kansas City 11-yard line on its next drive, Chiefs DE John Browning forced a fumble by RB Derek Loville to thwart a Broncos scoring opportunity.  After both squads exchanged punts, Grbac found WR Joe Horn on a 50-yard strike to set up a 12-yard TD pass to Gonzalez, giving the Chiefs a short-lived 10-7 advantage.  However, Davis found paydirt from one yard out on the Broncos ensuing drive to retake the lead at 14-10.

 

KC got as deep as the Denver 31-yard line on its next possession and lined up in field goal formation on fourth-and-six, but holder P Louie Aguiar ran with the ball and was tackled three yards short of a first down,.  Kansas City began its last possession with 4:04 left.  Grbac found Rison for a 23-yard gain to move KC to the Broncos 28 with 1:51 left as the Chiefs used their final time out.  Facing fourth-and-two at the Denver 20-yard line with 0:19 remaining, Grbac’s final pass into the end zone was batted down by Gordon as Denver held on to claim the 14-10 victory (shared with the officials, who must have been taking payola from Shanahan).

 

Thanks Adam!

 

Running time:  3:00 (2 discs)