Yes, I’m stealing my own lazy method for movie reviews and using it for the Broncos game. My sense of guilt is overwhelming.

1. It was nice to see the Broncos break their losing streak at Arrowhead where they had been winless since 2002.
2. It was just as nice to see the Broncos win a game by more than three points and by more than a Jason Elam field goal.
3. But, like victories over any of the AFC West teams this year--it is an amazingly weak year for the AFC West--there is a question as to how much it means. Does it mean that the Broncos are settling in to their new defensive schemes and replacement parts? Or does it mean that the Chiefs are even weaker than a lot of us thought?
4. My money is somewhere in between those two points.
5. On that last drive of the game, how many stupid mistakes would it have taken for the Broncos to let the Chiefs score an offensive touchdown? Because, I swear, with something like five offsides (including two lining up in the neutral zone infractions), the Broncos tried to let the Chiefs get there. It has to be painful for Chiefs’ fans that their team came away without a point. That was an ugly bit of the game.
6. In fact, lots of sloppy, stupid penalties on the Broncos today.
7. Offset by a handful of big plays and smart plays.
8. Selvin Young looks an awful lot like a running back making a damned good case for taking over the starting role from a frequently hurt, lame duck Travis Henry who seems very likely to be missing a good chunk of this year and the rest of next year with another drug suspension. Young ran hard and ran well, showed good eyes and slipperiness with a nice little bit of speed. For an undrafted player, he definitely looked better than many might have expected in his first start.
9. Cutler looked solid through most of the game, too, especially on some surprise running plays--I had thought they would keep him in the pocket for most of the game to keep him from aggravating his leg injury; instead, there were a number of what looked like called quarterback runs that were very effective. But that interception was ugly as hell. Either a tremendously bad throw or a phenomenally bad decision.
10. After the first quarter, I’m pretty sure Chiefs fans were feeling pretty good--that first quarter was an ugly one for the Broncos with a combination of bad field position, unforced errors, and a mostly ineffective offense. One thing this shows, though, is that turnovers can really define a game. The Broncos mistakes were numerous, but turned out to be relatively small in terms of the effect on the game. The Chiefs mistakes--a handful of turnovers that led directly to at least 14 points--ruined a good opportunity for them to stay at the top of the AFC West.

Bonus Point: Welcome back to Priest Holmes. It was good to see him running again (although, I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was happy that he was on the losing side).

Update: Kindly linked by my twice-a-year football nemesis. Thanks, Nathan. You can also read his post on the game here.