It’s Impressive Comeback, Even for Elway : AFC: Two touchdown passes in final two minutes give Broncos a 20-19 victory over Chiefs.

Even for John Elway, it was quite a comeback.

With fans at Mile High Stadium fleeing after the Kansas City Chiefs took a 19-6 lead with five minutes left Sunday, Elway led the Denver Broncos to another improbable victory.

His two touchdown passes in the final two minutes gave the Broncos a 20-19 victory.

Though the fans might have given up, Elway hadn’t.

“No, when I think we’ve lost is when the game is over--unless we’re in Philly,” Elway said in a tongue-in-cheek reference to Denver’s ineptitude in a 30-0 loss at Philadelphia two weeks ago.

Elway’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Vance Johnson with 38 seconds left tied the score and David Treadwell’s extra point completed the 30th victorious fourth-quarter comeback drive of Elway’s 10-year career, and his second this season.

“I thought I had seen everything, but this beats a bunch of them,” Denver Coach Dan Reeves said.

“We were fortunate. We were good enough at the end because of a great quarterback and receivers making great catches. It seems like when there’s the least amount of chance, we still have a shot. There’s just something about this stadium that’s unbelievable.”

The Chiefs won’t argue--not after their 10th consecutive loss at Mile High Stadium. Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer, who came into the game with a 1-8 record against the Broncos, joked last week he might decide to spare himself the agony by staying home and letting his team go it alone.

Instead, he saw another last-minute nightmare.

Before the two late touchdowns, the Broncos had extended their string of quarters without a touchdown to 12. The usually loyal Denver fans were fleeing in disgust.

Of the clinching score to Johnson, who had just been activated off injured reserve, Elway said: “We had the route set up and hadn’t used it. I told Vance, ‘If we get man (coverage), it’s coming to you.’ ”

Johnson, whose touchdown catch was his only reception of the game, said Elway “saw me drifting in past (cornerback) Albert Lewis, and when the ball dropped in there, I made the catch. Nothing is as sweet as this victory, being down 19-6 like that. There’s a ghost out there in that stadium.”

The Broncos still needed Treadwell’s extra point to go ahead; the kick barely skimmed inside the upright.

“I was trying to get it off quickly so they wouldn’t block it,” Treadwell said. “It was a whole lot more exciting than I wanted it to be.”

Schottenheimer tried to shrug off his latest disappointment against the Broncos.

“There’s a lot more to their team than Elway,” he said. “There’s a flow of energy. It changed when the Broncos got possession. Once they got into position, they capitalized.”

Neil Smith, the Chiefs’ defensive end who sacked Elway three times and forced two fumbles, paid tribute to the Denver quarterback.

“No matter how hard you hit him, he just gets up and wants more,” Smith said. “Elway is the best two-minute quarterback I’ve ever played against.”

Trailing 19-6 after Nick Lowery’s fourth field goal of the game with five minutes left, the Broncos drove 80 yards in 14 plays, capped by Elway’s 25-yard pass to Mark Jackson in the right corner of the end zone with 1:55 left.

Kansas City rookie Dale Carter managed to return the ensuing kickoff only to the five, and the resulting punt was returned 28 yards by Denver rookie Arthur Marshall to the Kansas City 27 with 1:17 remaining. Punter Bryan Barker made a touchdown-saving tackle on Marshall.

Elway promptly passed to Marshall for gains of 11 and four yards, then lofted the game-winner to Johnson in the end zone.

The victory lifted the Broncos into sole possession of first place in the AFC West at 4-1. The Chiefs fell to 3-2.

Dave Krieg passed 50 yards to Willie Davis and the Chiefs capitalized on three critical Denver defensive penalties to build their seemingly comfortable lead.