Week 15: Broncos at Chiefs first quarter recap

The Denver Broncos would lose the opening coin toss and, predictably, the Kansas City Chiefs deferred to the second half to bring Drew Lock and the Broncos offense out onto the field to start the game.

A counter by Phillip Lindsay chunked off 10-yards on their first play. Drew Lock dropped back to pass on the next play and ended up attempting to scramble away, but an ankle tackle by the Chiefs brought him down for the sack on what could have been a huge gain for Lock.

On third and seven, Lock didn’t get the snap off in time for a delay of game penalty and Denver’s chances to convert became impossible in the snow-covered field. Colby Wadman then did things we’re used to seeing on the ensuing punt.

On the first play for the Kansas City Chiefs, Shelby Harris had the inside rush, but smashed Patrick Mahomes in the face for a 15-yard personal foul to bring the Chiefs out to the 36-yard line. They would pick up another 10-yards on a quick pass outside to Sammy Watkins.

After a run for no gain, Mahomes found a wide open receiver for a 13-yard gain into Denver territory. Then Chris Harris Jr. got smoked down field to Tyreek Hill for the 41-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 6-0 early, but a botched snap on the extra point kept it that score.

A short run by Lindsay out of the wild cat and then a short pass to DaeSean Hamilton setup a third and two for Denver on their next drive. From the shotgun, Lock was flushed outside and nearly sacked but found Tim Patrick for the first down on a three yard gain.

After a short gain by Royce Freeman, Lock rolled out to find Andrew Beck for the first down catch out near midfield. Freeman took the next hand off for a five yard gain, but a critical drop by Lindsay outside forced another third down. On third and five, Lock didn’t see the outside pressure and was sacked for a big loss to bring out the punt unit.

After a quick first down run from LeSean McCoy, the Chiefs quickly found themselves in a third and nine, but Jeremiah Attaochu jumped offsides to give them another chance. Mahomes to Travis Kelce converted the first down to keep the driving going late in the first quarter.

Isaac Yiadom would commit a pass interference penalty down the field on Kelce to setup another scoring opportunity. After a couple of miscues by the Chiefs, they found themselves with another third and long at the Broncos 33 yard line. Mahomes would look for Macole Hardman for another first down as the first quarter wound down with the Chiefs down to the nine yard line.