KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Butker kicked five field goals, Marcus Peters returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the turnover-prone Denver Broncos 29-19 on Monday night.
Alex Smith threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, most of it going to tight end Travis Kelce , who hauled in seven balls for 133 yards and the score. The Chiefs (6-2) also intercepted Trevor Siemian three times and hopped on two fumbles to beat Denver (3-4) for the fourth straight time.
Siemian finished 19 of 36 for 198 yards and a touchdown, and has now thrown eight picks and only three TD passes in the past five games. The Broncos have lost all but one of them.
It was a crucial bounce-back win for the Chiefs, who had their 12-game AFC West winning streak snapped 10 days ago in Oakland. The Chiefs had won five straight to start the season before losing to the Steelers and then to the Raiders on Derek Carr’s last-second touchdown throw.
It started just like old times, too: Jamaal Charles with a run, the Chiefs with a touchdown.
The only difference was Charles, who went to four Pro Bowls with the Chiefs, was back in Kansas City with the Broncos. And the TD came when the opportunistic Peters stripped him, picked up the loose ball and returned it 45 yards for the opening score.
When the Chiefs were on offense, they went right to Kelce, who also had success against the Broncos in both of their meetings last season. He beat Darian Stewart for a 29-yard TD catch and a 14-0 lead.
The Chiefs were threatening to put the game out of reach later in the first quarter when coach Andy Reid got cute with the play-calling. Rather than keep the ball in the hands of Smith, who hasn’t thrown a pick all season, he let wide receiver Tyreek Hill throw it — and he was intercepted in the end zone.
Kansas City still led 20-3 when the Broncos’ offense finally found some rhythm.
They marched 60 yards to set up their second field goal by Brandon McManus, and then capped an 80-yard drive with Booker’s touchdown run. It was just the second time Denver had reached the end zone in 13-plus quarters, but it got coach Vance Joseph’s team within 20-13 with a quarter to play.
Butker answered with another field goal, and the Chiefs defense held on fourth-and-4 near midfield to get the ball back. Butker added two more field goals, the last with 4:41 left, giving him 18 consecutive made attempts and putting the game out of reach.
UN-INJURED RESERVE: The Broncos activated LB Shane Ray and the Chiefs activated CB Steven Nelson before the game. Ray returned to the lineup after missing the first six games with a torn ligament in his left wrist, while Nelson had been on injured reserve following core muscle surgery.
HALL OF AN HONOR: The Chiefs renamed the broadcast booths at Arrowhead Stadium for Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Len Dawson before the game. The 82-year-old Dawson led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV. He is retiring from work as a radio color analyst after the season.