Montana a Victim of Elway’s Magic : AFC: Bronco quarterback brings his team back, something the Chiefs’ leader fails to do in final minutes.

A league desperately in search of legends and dramatics was granted both Sunday in that rare NFL game worth cherishing.

It began with Joe Montana thrusting his arms into the air after leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a touchdown drive in the first four minutes.

It ended with thousands standing in a cold rain, pounding the Mile High Stadium stands with their feet and chanting, “El-way! El-way, El-way!”

After two of the best quarterbacks in league history stared each other down for 60 minutes, it was John Elway and the Denver Broncos who hobbled away as 27-21 winners.

“Remember the days of Bob Griese and the Steel Curtain and things like that?” Bronco guard Dave Widell asked, smiling despite bruises over much of his upper body. “That’s what today was all about.”

It was about Montana, trying to earn the Chiefs their first victory here in 11 years, passing them to a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.

It was about Elway, with a doctorate in comebacks, taking the Broncos to a 17-14 lead in the third quarter.

It was about Montana and the Chiefs re-taking the lead with his second touchdown pass late in the third quarter.

It was about Elway finding Shannon Sharpe with a six-yard pass for their third touchdown connection, giving the Broncos the lead again with 10:34 remaining.

Montana, Elway, Montana, Elway.

So it went until the Chiefs were given the ball on their 20-yard line with 2:26 remaining in the game, no timeouts, and Montana asked to make one more memory.

“Standing on the sidelines before that last drive, my eyes caught Wade Phillips’ eyes,” Charlie Waters, Bronco defensive coordinator, said of his head coach. “We looked at each other like, ‘This is what it is all about.’

“Our great one had scored, and now we had to stop the best ever.”

Six plays and three incompletions later, Montana was trudging off the field shaking his head . . . while Elway was jogging onto the field pumping his fist.

With young receivers unable to run good sideline routes and seemingly wilting under the pressure, the Chiefs stalled four yards shy of midfield.

“All anybody thinks around here is, ‘Joe, Joe, Miracle Joe,” Chief defensive back Kevin Ross said. “It’s time for everybody else to stand up and make the plays.”

It was the 32nd career fourth-quarter comeback for a victory in Elway’s career, but his first this season. Montana has 27.

It was Elway’s third career victory against Montana, who has two against Elway.

“It’s always nice to be on the same field with Joe Montana,” Elway said.

By the dazed look on his teammate’s faces, it was obvious that the 8-5 Broncos did far more than gain one game in the standings on the AFC West-leading Chiefs, who fell to 9-4.

“We proved we could beat the Chiefs with Montana, with maybe the best ever,” Phillips said. “It is something nobody else had done . . . it was something that had to be done.”

Indeed, it was the first time in six games that the Chiefs have been beaten when Montana has played more than one half.

Afterward Montana looked like he has lost all six games. Sitting in front of his locker, the last Chief to get dressed, he sat in only his shirt and socks, shaking his head.

But even though Montana blamed himself for overthrowing wide-open Fred Jones a few steps from the goal line in the second quarter with the Chiefs leading by 14-3, the key play had nothing to do with either quarterback.

With the Chiefs leading by 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, they were outsmarted by Bronco special teams coach Richard Smith.

On a Chief punt from the Bronco 42-yard line, Smith ordered Reggie Rivers to rush from the outside even though Rivers has not done that all season.

It fooled the Chiefs’ Bennie Thompson, who ran wide and did not even think of blocking Rivers.

Moments later, Rivers blocked the punt by Bryan Barker and the Broncos ended up with the ball on the Chief 11-yard line after Barker inexplicably batted the ball backward.

Four plays later, Elway found tight end Sharpe, who became his leading target after Derek Russell left the game in the first half because of a sprained left ankle.

Considering the earlier injury to Vance Johnson, Elway won the game without his top two receivers, perhaps the most remarkable feat of the day.

“There were times I didn’t know who was playing where,” Elway said. “Once Artie (Marshall) was in motion and I had to ask him what he was playing when he ran by.”

Elway adjusted enough to complete 20 of 30 passes for 221 yards and the three touchdowns. Montana, also throwing 30 passes, completed fewer (17) but for more yards (237) and two touchdowns.

It was the sort of game in which players were helped from the field with injuries only to return on the next play. The sky turned from blue to dense gray in the course of four quarters, matching the players’ moods and intensity.

“Grass field, dreary Sunday, two of the legends of our game . . . this was great,” Widell said.