Denver Broncos: 3 things we learned

DENVER -- A banged-up Peyton Manning was no match for the Kansas City Chiefs' relentless defense.

The Chiefs pressured Manning into a mistake-filled outing that included four interceptions and culminated in his third-quarter benching, and Kansas City shut down the Denver Broncos long enough for a 29-13 victory Sunday.

"Listen, defense, defense, defense," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "They did a tremendous job, five turnovers. They were able to put pressure on Peyton. That doesn't happen very often."

Charcandrick West ran for a touchdown and caught an 80-yard scoring pass from Alex Smith, helping the Chiefs (4-5) snap a seven-game losing streak to the Broncos (7-2). Cairo Santos added five field goals.

"It's a great feeling, just winning period, especially a division game," Chiefs safety Eric Berry said. "That's what we needed right now at this point."

It was the second straight loss for the Broncos after opening the season with seven consecutive wins.

Though Manning became the NFL's all-time leading passer with his first completion of the day, he was also lifted from the game after playing ineffectively and struggling to dodge pressure while playing with sore ribs and a foot injury.

He finished 5 of 20 for 35 yards before being benched.

"I felt good enough to go out there and play," Manning said. "If you look back on it now, I have a hard time saying that's why I played badly. Could that be the reason? I guess it always could be. But to me, that's an easy way out."

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said he made the decision to pull Manning because, "I was protecting him. ... I was worried about him."

Kubiak also second-guessed himself for allowing Manning to play after the rib issue cropped up late in the week.

"I probably should have right there said, 'No, he's not going to go this week,' " Kubiak said. "But he's a competitor. He wanted to play."

Manning was replaced by backup Brock Osweiler with 6:34 left to play in the third quarter after throwing his fourth interception.

Kubiak said Manning remains the starter and he will start next week's game at Chicago if his health permits.

Osweiler led the Broncos on a drive that Ronnie Hillman finished with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:27 left to play, averting the Broncos' first-ever shutout at home. The 2-point conversion try failed when a scrambling Osweiler was tackled short of the goal line.

However, Osweiler also had an interception in the end zone, by Berry and the Chiefs capitalized on the turnover with Smith hitting West for the long catch-and-run touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

In all, the Chiefs scored 20 points off Denver's five turnovers.

"It may be one of the best defensive performances in a long time," Smith said. "To start the game the way we did, getting an interception, and getting the touchdown, was big, just to start fast like that as a team. From there, we kept the pedal down, kept the momentum going."

Osweiler, who also had a 7-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell in the late going, finished 14 of 24 for 146 yards.

What we learned about the Broncos:

1. Peyton Manning has never been known for his mobility, but when he's banged up, as he was Sunday with sore ribs and a sore foot, he struggled to dodge pressure and step up in the pocket. His accuracy was affected because he had trouble setting his feet before making a throw. Manning can still get it done, but he needs to get healthier if he's going to go out there again. Coach Gary Kubiak said Manning will start next week's game at Chicago, health permitting.

2. Inconsistency in the running game resurfaced as an issue for the Broncos. Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson combined for only 51 yards on 13 carries, and that put more pressure on the passing game, which could not make up for the lack of production.

3. The Broncos missed pass-rushing linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who sat the game out because of back injury. While Denver managed two sacks, the league's top-ranked defense did not make the kind of impact plays that fueled their early season success and the league's leading pass rush lacked consistency.

Etc.:

--QB Brock Osweiler relieved QB Peyton Manning midway through the fourth quarter and led the Broncos to a pair of touchdowns in his first significant playing time in a regular season game. He had 18 yards on three runs and finished 14 of 24 for 146 yards. He was sacked three times.

--TE Vernon Davis had his first catches since being acquired by the Broncos in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. He had two receptions for 19 yards. Davis also was targeted by Manning on his first pass of the game that ended up being intercepted by cornerback Marcus Peters.

--QB Peyton Manning added 35 yards to his passing total to boost his career number to 71,866, surpassing Brett Favre as the NFL's all-time passing leader. He can break a tie with Favre for career wins (186) with his next victory.