THE NFL 1996 : Elway Leads Broncos Past Chiefs, 34-7

While it hardly seems possible, John Elway actually seems to be getting better.

Reversing their only loss of the season, the Denver Broncos used three touchdown passes from Elway and a stubborn defense to crush the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-7, on Sunday.

“John is playing better right now than I have ever seen him play,” said Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer, whose Cleveland Brown teams were twice beaten by Elway in AFC championship games. Elway completed 16 of 31 passes for 286 yards. He left the game early in the fourth quarter and was deprived of an opportunity for a fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game.

“He was definitely hot,” Chief cornerback Dale Carter said. “It seemed like everything was working for him. He was hard to stop.”

The victory enabled the Broncos (7-1) to open a two-game lead in the AFC West at the halfway point of the season.

“To finish the first half 7-1 is great, but we’ve got a long way to go,” Elway said.

Denver scored on its first three possessions for a 17-7 lead. Elway’s third touchdown pass, a 25-yarder to Mike Sherrard late in the first half, made the score, 24-7, and Aaron Craver’s one-yard run capped a 56-yard drive late in the third quarter.

Tight end Shannon Sharpe caught Elway’s other two touchdown passes and finished with six catches for 99 yards.

Kansas City’s Steve Bono, pressured repeatedly by the Denver defense, was frequently off target with his throws and also was victimized by numerous drops. He threw two interceptions in the end zone, and the Chiefs’ other scoring threat ended on downs.

Kansas City (5-3) got its lone score on Tamarick Vanover’s 97-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.

“Until today, we really hadn’t played a complete football game,” Denver Coach Mike Shanahan said. “Today is an example of what we can accomplish when we do.”