DENVER — For nearly 20 years, the men tasked with protecting Denver Broncos quarterbacks, from John Elway to Jake Plummer to Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning, have hid in the shadows and shielded themselves from public view.
In Denver, more so than anywhere else in the NFL, offensive linemen want to be ignored, in good times and certainly in bad. But the spotlight on the Broncos' offensive line could not have been brighter this week, as the Broncos' Super Bowl hopes are so firmly linked to keeping Manning healthy.
What better time, then, for the Broncos offensive line to play its best game of the season.
BOX SCORE: Broncos 27, Chiefs 17
THE Q: Denver re-asserts itself as AFC's best
For the Denver Broncos, the final score was nice — a 27-17 win against the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, a win that puts the Broncos atop the AFC West, but the bigger win was that Manning went home Sunday night just as healthy as when he arrived at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
"They were under fire this week because Peyton got hit a few times (last week against the San Diego Chargers), but they've done a great job all year. I was proud of them," interim head coach Jack Del Rio said. "We knew this was going to be a game where you had to play well in the trenches to have a chance."
Manning wasn't sacked, and in fact, was barely touched by Tamba Hali or Justin Houston or Dontari Poe or Derrick Johnson. The vaunted Chiefs pass rush that racked up 36 sacks in Kansas City's first nine games never showed up. In fact, the only time that Manning hit the grass Sunday night was when he dove in front of Johnson, who had recovered a fumble on a botched handoff between Manning and running back Montee Ball.
"Our goal is always to keep him clean, but unfortunately in the league it's not going to happen every game. But for it to happen against an elite pass rush team, it give us a little extra good feeling that we were able to keep him clean and keep him healthy," center Manny Ramirez told USA TODAY Sports. "We were all focused, we all communicated well, we kept the pocket firm in the middle, we were able to let the tackles run their guys around and, of course, Peyton gets rid of the ball quick, so that was an extra plus for us. It just came together for us today."
