For 20 or so minutes Sunday night, the Chiefs and Broncos played the opposite of good offensive football. Both defenses deserve credit for putting on a dominant display, but the offenses also deserve blame for a putrid outing.
Luckily for the Chiefs, they don't need an offense. Their defense and special teams are happy to do all the heavy lifting.
With the score knotted up at 0-0 midway through the second quarter, the Chiefs ripped off nine points in 12 seconds -- all without their offense taking the field.
Justin Houston started the run by sacking and stripping Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian. The Broncos recovered the ball in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Sack. Fumble. SAFETY.@JHouston50's THIRD sack of the first half gives the @Chiefs 2 points! #KCvsDENhttps://t.co/KCk3zpu8rs
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2016
That safety was scored at the 6:16 mark of the second quarter. At the 6:04 mark, the Chiefs took a 9-0 lead. For that, they can thank Tyreek Hill, who returned the free kick after the safety for a touchdown.
Tyreek Hill is GONE.
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2016
86 yard return TD on the free kick! 🏃💨 #KCvsDENhttps://t.co/XY9p6tvpYR
That should hardly come as a surprise given Hill entered the game with the second-most yards (15.8) per punt return.
The best part? The high-five Hill gave De'Anthony Thomas before he entered the end zone. Maybe Hill was congratulating Thomas on keeping up with him.
Best friends. 👏#KCvsDENpic.twitter.com/T1M5zAifmX
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2016
And that's how the Chiefs took a 9-0 lead without their offense. From now on, they should probably just start punting on first down to let Houston, who racked up three sacks in the first half, get back to work.