Visitor:  Kansas City Chiefs

Home:  Denver Broncos

Date:  January 1, 2012

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

KC                  7          0          0          0             7

DEN                0          0          3          0             3

 

Visitor playmakers:

WR Dexter McCluster, CB Brandon Carr, DE Wallace Gilberry, LB Justin Houston

 

Home playmakers:

DE Robert Ayers

 

Network:  CBS (KCTV Kansas City)

Announcers:  Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

 

Pregame:  No

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  No

 

Grade:  9.5/10

 

Notes:  Orton got his revenge in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 7-3 win over Denver on Sunday, but it was the Broncos who clinched the AFC West.  The Broncos finished 8-8, same as the Raiders and Chargers. They won their first division title since 2005 on a tiebreaker, going 6-6 against common opponents while the others went 5-7. So, everybody at Mile High got what they wanted even though Tebow couldn't beat the guy he failed to beat out in training camp.

 

Never before in the four-plus decades since the AFL-NFL merger has a starting quarterback returned to start a game in the same season against his former team.  Neither QB had a great day. The game's only touchdown came on Dexter McCluster's 21-yard scamper in the first quarter, so this game was as much about the Punting Colquitt brothers, Dustin and Britton, as it was about Orton vs. Tebow.

 

Running time:  2:11 (2 DVDs)