KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos proved their mastery of the Kansas City Chiefs once more on a chilly Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Manning threw two touchdown passes, recently signed Connor Barth was perfect on five field-goal attempts and the Broncos rolled to a 29-16 victory, their sixth straight over Kansas City and one that kept them alone in first place in the AFC West.

Barth matched the franchise record for field goals in a game set twice by Jason Elam. C.J. Anderson added 168 yards rushing with a 15-yard touchdown catch, and Demaryius Thomas also had a TD grab to help the Broncos (9-3) remain a game up on San Diego in the division.

Alex Smith had 153 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Chiefs (7-5), the second of them to Jamaal Charles to make it 26-16 early in the fourth quarter. But Smith’s pass on the two-point try fell incomplete, and the Broncos added another field goal to put the game away.

Smith was sacked six times and Denver held Kansas City to 151 yards of total offense.

“There’s really not a phase I can point to that was a positive in this game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We all have to do better. We’re all in it together.”

It certainly wasn’t the kind of performance expected of the Chiefs, who emerged in a frenzy before the game wearing all-red uniforms for the third time in franchise history.

The Chiefs were honoring veteran safety Eric Berry, who will miss the rest of the season after a mass suspected to be lymphoma was found in his chest. Berry has professed his love for the red-on-red look, which the Chiefs wore last year against Dallas and this year versus New England.

While the Chiefs won both of those games, they hardly gave themselves a chance Sunday.

Manning capped an effortless 74-yard drive with a 23-yard third-down pass to Thomas in the first quarter. Then, after the Broncos forced a second consecutive three-and-out, Manning found Anderson out of the backfield on third down for a 15-yard touchdown strike to make it 14-0.

Anderson, who went undrafted last year, was coming off a 167-yard rushing performance last week against Miami. Starting in place of the injured Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman, he proved that it was no one-week fluke, gashing the Kansas City defense with nearly every touch.

Even when the Chiefs’ porous defense stopped the Broncos, they were usually within range for Barth, who was signed this week to replace ineffective kicker Brandon McManus.

Meanwhile, very little was going right for the Chiefs on offense, either. They had minus-10 yards in the first quarter and were still at 66 yards through the third quarter.

After recovering a fumble deep in Denver territory early in the second half, they managed three yards before kicking a field goal. On their next possession, Smith had a pass batted at the line and intercepted by DeMarcus Ware, the first pick he’d thrown in 179 attempts. And on the Chiefs’ next possession, Smith was sacked by Ware on third-and-1 to force another punt.

Then, when the Chiefs finally held Denver on third down, backup cornerback Marcus Cooper inexplicably let the punt to bounce off his leg. The Broncos recovered for a fresh set of downs.

Barth added his fifth field midway through the fourth quarter to seal the win.

“We have to do a better job putting players in the right position and we have to do a better job executing when we’re in that position,” Reid said. “We get that fixed we’ll be back on track, but we’ve stalled the last two weeks. We have to get this thing turned around.”

— Associated Press —

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday that the club has signed free agent wide receiver Jason Avant. The team has placed wide receiver A.J. Jenkins on injured reserve.

Avant (6-0, 210) has played in 127 games (52 starts) in nine NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2014) and Philadelphia Eagles (2006-13). His career numbers include 318 receptions for 3,847 yards (12.1 avg.) with 13 touchdowns. Avant spent seven seasons with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia while Reid served as the Eagles head coach (2006-12). He owns 57 catches of 20-plus yards and has produced 197 first down grabs in his career.

He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick (109th overall) of the Eagles in the 2006 NFL Draft. Avant played collegiately at Michigan where he finished third in school history with 169 receptions for 2,247 yards and 13 touchdowns. He prepped at Carver High School in Chicago, Illinois.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Derek Carr gave the Oakland Raiders something to celebrate for a change.

Carr threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to James Jones with 1:42 remaining, and the Raiders snapped a 16-game losing streak with a 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.

“I been through a lot of hard times, these losses have been hard,” Carr said.

Oakland’s Latavius Murray ran for two touchdowns on four carries before leaving the game with a concussion.

The Raiders (1-10) built a 14-point lead, but needed a 17-play, 80-yard drive led by Carr to secure its first win since beating Houston on Nov. 17, 2013.

Alex Smith threw two TD passes for the Chiefs (7-4), who had won five in a row. They fell a half-game behind Denver in the AFC West.

The Raiders became just the third team since the merger to beat a first-place team for their first win after losing at least 10 games to start the season. Indianapolis did it against Green Bay in 1997 and Buffalo did it to Dallas in 1984.

The Chiefs will have a long time to stew over this loss before hosting Denver on Nov. 30 in an AFC West showdown.

It took an impressive drive by the rookie Carr to win it. He twice had to sneak for first downs. He also threw an 8-yard pass to Mychal Rivera on third-and-6 and capitalized on a pass interference penalty against Ron Parker on another third down before finding Jones for the go-ahead score.

“That was really hard-fought, they are a great team obviously, they will probably go to the playoffs and do some great things,” Carr said. “I can’t wait to see my teammates’ smiles.”

The game wasn’t sealed until Smith threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-13 from his 48. Even that didn’t come without a tense moment. Khalil Mack and Sio Moore sacked Smith on third down and celebrated in the backfield while the Chiefs ran up to the line. An angry Justin Tuck had to call timeout as he seethed at his younger teammates.

The Chiefs battled back from a 17-3 deficit late in the third quarter to take the lead with three scores in less than 8 minutes, including a pair of touchdown passes from Smith.

The first came on a looping throw to Anthony Fasano for a 19-yard score with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Raiders managed to move the ball near midfield before stalling on their next drive, and the Chiefs answered with a four-play, 65-yard drive that was made even more difficult by a pair of holding penalties.

Jamaal Charles beat Charles Woodson out of the backfield to catch a short pass and weaved through Oakland’s defense for a 30-yard score that tied it at 17. It was Charles’ fifth touchdown catch in his past two games at the Oakland Coliseum.

Frankie Hammond’s 28-yard punt return set up Cairo Santos’ second field goal of the game, giving the Chiefs their first lead of the night.

The Raiders started fast behind the little-used Murray, who had just 10 carries in the first 10 games. He spelled starter Darren McFadden on the second drive and provided an immediate spark for Oakland’s struggling offense before leaving the game with a concussion.

Murray carried twice on his first drive, sprinting 11 yards around the end for Oakland’s first rushing touchdown since Oct. 19 against Arizona. The Chiefs were looking to match the 2011 San Francisco 49ers by becoming the second team ever to allow no rushing touchdowns through 11 games.

Murray did even better the next time he touched the ball, sprinting past the Chiefs defense for the longest run by a Raiders running back since Bo Jackson had a 92-yarder against Cincinnati in 1989. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a 93-yard TD run last season against Pittsburgh.

Murray had 112 yards on four carries before getting hurt. He had the most yards rushing by any player since at least 1960 with five or fewer carries.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The old offensive line coach in Andy Reid could appreciate the way the Kansas City Chiefs pried open holes for Jamaal Charles to run free against Seattle on Sunday.

He could appreciate the way their defensive front stepped up, too.

Given a lead thanks largely to the legs of their dazzling running back, the Chiefs held the Seahawks on fourth down three times in the final quarter. The result was a tense 24-20 victory that pushed Kansas City into a first-place tie with the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

“We’re sitting there with three fourth-down plays late in the game,” Reid said, “and they stepped up and did a phenomenal job there getting off the field.”

As for Charles, who finished with 159 yards and two touchdowns?

“He’s Jamaal Charles,” Reid said. “He’s a special player.”

Russell Wilson threw for 178 yards and two TDs for the Seahawks, and Marshawn Lynch had 124 yards rushing. But Lynch, fresh off a four-touchdown game, was stuffed twice by the Kansas City defense with the outcome hanging in the balance.

The Seahawks’ last-chance drive ended when Wilson threw incomplete on fourth-and-18 at their 20-yard line with 1:13 left.

“They had a great defense,” Wilson said. “They just made a great play.”

The Chiefs’ first fourth-down stop came with about 6 minutes to go. Lynch was tackled after a 2-yard gain on third down, and coach Pete Carroll elected to gamble at the Chiefs 2. Wilson saw Doug Baldwin in the corner of the end zone but badly overthrew him.

Seattle (6-4) held to get the ball back and appeared to convert a third down with a completion at the Chiefs 35. Reid wisely challenged the spot, though, and replays showed wide receiver Jermaine Kearse was a full yard short. The Seahawks again went for it, and Lynch was stuffed for no gain with less than 4 minutes to go.

By the time the Seahawks got the ball back one last time, they were pinned so deep in their own territory with such little time on the clock that it hardly mattered.

Lynch left without speaking to reporters.

“Every game we’ve lost this season it seems like it’s come down to the last play, whether it’s defense or offense,” Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett said. “That’s the name of the game.”

It made sense the two playoff contenders would wage an old-school, back-and-forth affair. Both are built in the same mold, featuring stout defenses and strong running games.

Kansas City struck first with a relentless 15-play drive that took up more than 9 minutes of the first half and ended with Charles’ 1-yard touchdown run. Seattle answered with its own 16-play drive, chewing up exactly 9 minutes and ending with Wilson’s TD pass to Baldwin.

Nothing really changed the rest of the half.

Charles broke two long runs on the Chiefs’ next possession, including a 16-yard touchdown. Lynch came back with a punishing series of carries to help set up a field goal.

The Chiefs overcame two fumbles that led to Seattle scores. Travis Kelce lost the ball near midfield late in the first half, and the Seahawks capitalized with a field goal.

Then Charles was fighting for extra yardage again near midfield in the third quarter when he was stripped of the ball.

“I was doing too much,” Charles said. “I just lost it as I was going down.”

Five plays later, Wilson hit tight end Tony Moeaki — who spent most of his first four injury-plagued seasons with Kansas City — with a short touchdown toss for a 20-17 lead.

Once again turning to Charles, the Chiefs answered. The elusive running back put a nifty juke on Earl Thomas and scampered 47 yards before getting pushed out of bounds. Gassed, Charles watched as Knile Davis capped the drive to give the Chiefs a 24-20 lead.

Then he watched his defense make it stick.

“It was a heartbreaking loss,” Wilson said. “We thought we could have or should have won it.”

Game notes

Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette was ejected in the second half for throwing a right hook at Chiefs CB Kurt Coleman. … Seattle C Max Unger was carted off with a high ankle sprain and twisted knee midway through the fourth quarter. Patrick Lewis finished in his place. … Charles had not run for 100 yards in any game this season.

— Associated Press —

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t flinch in the face of adversity.

For Leodis McKelvin and the Buffalo Bills, they endured a familiar late-game meltdown for a franchise that has had little go its way during a 14-season playoff drought — the NFL’s longest active streak.

Smith, on an 8-yard run, and Jamaal Charles, on a 39-yard scamper on fourth-and-1, scored less than five minutes apart as the Chiefs overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull out a 17-13 win over the bumbling Bills on Sunday.

“I think there is something to winning these types of games,” Smith said. “There’s a different type of confidence you get when you win games like this.”

The Chiefs (6-3) came out on top in a key midseason AFC showdown by improving to 6-1 in their past seven games.

It was a different mood altogether in Buffalo’s locker room after the Bills (5-4) unraveled coming out of their bye week. McKelvin had difficulty containing his anger in issuing a series of profanity-laced answers in discussing how his fumble helped cost Buffalo the game.

“I take this … to heart,” McKelvin said. “I fumbled the ball. It hurt us. But we still had a chance to come back and win the game. (Stuff) happens in the game. But you’ve still got to overcome it.”

The outcome turned early in the fourth quarter with Buffalo clinging to a 13-10 lead.

The Bills’ defense forced a three-and-out, forcing the Chiefs to punt out of their own end zone.

McKelvin fielded Dustin Colquitt’s punt cleanly at his own 31 and took a few steps to his right. That’s when he was hit by Albert Wilson. Anthony Sherman then knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble at the Bills’ 26.

Two plays later, Smith faked a handoff to the right to Charles and then took off left for the go-ahead score with nearly nine minutes left.

“There’s going to be games like this where everything is not pretty and you have to play through it, and there’s a certain toughness that it takes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “And our guys showed that today.”

The Chiefs’ defense showed that in ending any chances of Buffalo manufacturing a comeback after McKelvin’s 23-yard punt return gave the Bills the ball at Kansas City’s 25 with 4:35 remaining.

The drive stalled at the 15, when Kyle Orton threw four consecutive incompletions, including an underthrown attempt to Sammy Watkins at the 1 on fourth down. Defensive back Ron Parker knocked down three Orton attempts, while another sailed through the end zone past Chris Hogan.

Orton went 29-of-48 for 259 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown to Hogan. Marcell Dareus had three of Buffalo’s six sacks.

Very little went right for the Bills’ offense after Orton hit Hogan for a 25-yard touchdown to cap the opening drive. Buffalo then managed two field goals, lost a fumble and turned the ball over on downs in four trips inside the Chiefs’ 20.

The lost fumble was crucial in opening the second half. Running back Bryce Brown was three steps from the end zone when he had the ball punched out of his hands by Parker. The ball bounced into the end zone, where tight end Scott Chandler had it go off his fingers and out for a touchback.

“It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating, all those words,” Chandler said. “I don’t know what to say about it. We’ve got to be better.”

Things don’t get any easier for the Bills, who had a two-game win streak snapped and fell to 2-4 against conference rivals. They face a key test in a short week — at division rival Miami on Thursday night.

This marked the fourth time during their playoff drought the Bills lost after compiling a 5-3 record. Buffalo hasn’t had six or more wins through nine games since 1999, the last time it made the playoffs.

The Chiefs, who opened last season at 9-0, find themselves on another roll and in the thick of a jumbled AFC playoff race.

“It’s just crazy how the NFL is going this year,” offensive tackle Eric Fisher said. “It was a huge AFC game for us. Getting that win, being 6-3, that sounds pretty good.”

Charles finished with 98 yards rushing, Smith went 17-of-29 for 177 yards and Dwayne Bowe had eight catches for 93 years.

Game notes

Chiefs RB Cyrus Gray sustained a torn knee ligament. Reid said TE Demetrius Harris broke his foot before the game. … Bills WR Marquise Goodwin did not return after hurting his ribs in the fourth quarter. … Bills RB Fred Jackson was limited to 10 yards rushing and 39 yards receiving in his first game after hurting his groin three week ago.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith insisted he was looking for Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, a rarity considering the Chiefs quarterback has yet to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver this season.

What happened next in their 24-10 victory over the Jets on Sunday was even rarer.

The pass was batted at the line of scrimmage by Jets linebacker Calvin Pace. It bounced right into the hands of tight end Anthony Fasano, who had been blocked to the ground, and he rolled over across the goal-line for a touchdown that extended the Chiefs’ lead to two scores.

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“I don’t know what to say,” Smith said, smiling. “A freaky play.”

Just the kind of play that’s been going Kansas City’s way during a three-game win streak — and the kind that has been going against New York during its eight-game skid.

The Jets’ losing streak is their longest since 1996, when they went 1-15 in their final year under Rich Kotite. The franchise has never lost nine in a row, an embarrassment embattled coach Rex Ryan and his troops will try to avoid next Sunday against Pittsburgh.

“I thought it was typical of how this season’s gone for us,” Ryan said of the bizarre bounce that led to Fasano’s touchdown. “That’s what I thought.”

Smith finished with 199 yards and two touchdowns passing, and Jamaal Charles ran for another score for the Chiefs (5-3), who won for the fifth time in six games on the same day that former running back Priest Holmes was inducted into their ring of honor.

Starting his first game with the Jets (1-8) in place of Geno Smith, Michael Vick threw for 196 yards and a touchdown. He briefly left early in the fourth quarter after taking a massive hit from the Chiefs’ Josh Mauga and walking unsteadily off the field, but returned to finish.

Smith was inactive with a shoulder injury, so Matt Simms had to play one series.

“My head hit the ground, but it was cool,” Vick said. “Initially, I was dinged for a minute. But I respect the NFL rules and the concussion protocol. I went through it. I took all the appropriate steps and I passed all the tests and I came back.”

New York actually moved the ball well through gusty conditions, utilizing Percy Harvin in the running and passing games. But the Jets kept misfiring deep in Chiefs territory, settling for a field goal just before halftime and then turning it over on downs at the Kansas City 3 early in the fourth quarter — Vick was injured on that fourth-down play.

In all, the Jets were stopped on fourth down three times in the fourth quarter.

“We had some opportunities and we didn’t capitalize on them,” said Vick, who will start next Sunday against Pittsburgh. “Whenever that happens, and the other team does capitalize on theirs, you don’t finding yourself winning the game.”

The Chiefs set the tempo from the opening drive, moving 81 yards in relative ease. Charles was the workhorse, carrying six times and capping the drive with a 1-yard TD plunge.

After the Chiefs forced three-and-out, it took them just seven more plays to score again — this time on a play that encapsulated the way everything has been going right for Kansas City, and the way everything has been going wrong for New York.

With first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, Smith’s pass was knocked down by Pace. But the nice defensive play sent the ball right to Fasano, who caught the inadvertent pass on his rump, rolled over the goal line and gave the Chiefs a stunning — if not humorous — touchdown for a 14-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ defense was getting after Vick every time he dropped to pass.

Justin Houston, who had 4 1/2 sacks of Vick when he faced the Eagles a year ago, had two more on the elusive quarterback Sunday. Defensive tackle Dontari Poe also tracked Vick down for a sack, all before Mauga knocked him from the game with his crushing blow in the fourth quarter.

The only bright spot for the Jets was the play of Harvin, who caught 11 passes for 129 yards in his second game since getting traded from Seattle. Harvin showed the speed and shiftiness that the Jets were hoping he would provide when they made the deal.

It was just far too little in a game dominated by Kansas City’s defense.

“When we were 0-2, nobody really believed in us. We’re 5-3 right now, and pretty sure nobody believes in us,” Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali said. “Our goal is to continue to believe in what we’re doing and win games. That’s all that matters around here.”

— Associated Press —