If you had Denver plus seven and a half, that was a tough watch. The Broncos defense was excellent, but the offense couldn't stop turning it over, none worse than the strip of Jamaal Charles run back for a TD in the first quarter. And I think I have the answer to my Twitter poll from yesterday:
Who would you prefer as your QB?
— Christopher Liss (@Chris_Liss) October 30, 2017
• Siemian was terrible. Not only did he throw a terrible pick across his body late in the game with the cover on the line, but he routinely threw low, causing incompletions and slowing down receivers who made the catch. He also squandered a few chances to pick up first downs with his legs and on one scramble went out of bounds three yards before he would have run into a defender. His receivers didn't help either, with at least three drops, two from Bennie Fowler. Unfortunately for the Broncos the backup is Brock Osweiler, though former first rounder Paxton Lynch is finally getting healthy.
• C.J. Anderson ran well, but Devontae Booker scored the touchdown, and Jamaal Charles got significant work as well (eight carries to Anderson's 15.)
• Demaryius Thomas was the only competent receiver dressed (with Emmanuel Sanders out), but his targets were mostly harmless short passes.
• Alex Smith finally turned it over on a lost fumble, and the Chiefs threw their first interception of the year, though it wasn't Smith but wideout Tyreek Hill on a trick play. Funny the announcers bothered to point out after saying Smith had 15 TD passes and no interceptions that he led the league in TD/INT ratio.
• The Denver defense completely stifled Kareem Hunt. After seven straight games of 100-plus YFS to start his career, he failed to hit 70.
• Travis Kelce was the game's only offensive star with 10 targets, seven catches, 133 yards and a score. Smith targets him down the field, while the speedy Tyreek Hill mostly runs shorter routes (Smith took one deep shot to Hill who had a step on Chris Harris, but overthrew him.) Hill finished with two catches for 38 yards against a tough Denver secondary.
• Harrison Butker made all five of his field-goal attempts, including a 51-yarder, and none were in any doubt.