Broncos 27, Chiefs 17: Peyton Manning threw for 323 yards and one touchdown as host Denver handed Kansas City its first loss and pulled into a tie with the Chiefs atop the AFC West.

Montee Ball scored on a pair of short touchdown runs and tight end Julius Thomas had a TD reception for the Broncos (9-1), who became the first team to score more than 17 points against Kansas City (9-1). Manning, playing with a sprained right ankle, finished 24-of-40 and was not sacked by a unit that entered with a league-high 36.

Alex Smith completed 21-of-45 for 230 yards and two touchdown passes for the Chiefs, who will have a chance for revenge when they host Denver in two weeks. Jamaal Charles rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries but was held without a catch until the final minute after coming into the contest with 47 receptions.

Kansas City trailed 17-10 at the half but failed to capitalize on two prime scoring chances: Fullback Anthony Sherman fumbled inside Denver's 20-yard line and the Chiefs were forced to settle for a Ryan Succop 20-yard field goal after a first-and-goal at the 2. Manning tossed a 9-yard TD pass to Thomas and Ball had a 1-yard run while Dwayne Bowe's 6-yard reception accounted for Kansas City's TD.

Both teams punted on their first three possessions of the second half before Manning drove Denver 65 yards in six plays, capped by Ball's 8-yard run for a 24-10 lead with 2:22 left in the third quarter. Matt Prater's 36-yard field goal made it 27-10 with 7:06 to play before the Chiefs responded with Smith's 10-yard scoring strike to tight end Anthony Fasano with 4:56 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning raised his season total to 3,572 passing yards, the most in history through the first 10 games of a season. ... Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt punted seven times for a 51.1 average to outdistance his brother, Broncos P Britton Colquitt, who averaged 45.8 yards on his six kicks. ... Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas had five catches for 121 yards while fellow WR Wes Welker was taken to the locker room in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a possible concussion.