Broncos at Chiefs: Three things to watch, anniversary Top 10 and more

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Let Marshall make plays

The Broncos and quarterback Kyle Orton have figured out that receiver Brandon Marshall can makes plays even when he’s covered. The Chiefs have given up more 40-yard passes than any team, so Denver might be wise to take some deep shots to Marshall.

2. Pressure Cassel

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel doesn’t throw many interceptions. The tradeoff is he takes a lot of sacks. Kansas City has allowed the second most sacks in the NFL. Denver can make big plays by applying pressure to Cassel.

3. Win the special teams battle

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels went out of his way to praise Kansas City’s special teams. Chiefs special teams coordinator Mike Priefer pointed out that his unit has played well in wins and poorly in losses. Denver needs to at least be competitive on special teams.

50TH ANNIVERSARY TOP 10

During the Broncos’ 50th season, The Gazette will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments, players, games and plays over the team’s history, counting down a top 10 list every Sunday during the season.

Today: The 10 biggest challenges and most difficult situations in Broncos history.

10. Winning in Kansas City. The Broncos are 13-35 all time at Kansas City. Mike Shanahan was 3-11 at Arrowhead Stadium. December in Kansas City has been even worse: The Broncos are 1-17 at Kansas City in December.

9. Stadium issues. From 1967, a fundraising drive was held to improve Bears Stadium, to the 1990s when taxpayers helped pay for Invesco Field at Mile High, keeping Denver’s facilities in line with the rest of the NFL has been a challenge.

8. Having a winning season. The Broncos didn’t have a winning record until their 14th season. They beat San Diego on Dec. 9, 1973 to clinch their first winning season.

7. Nash-Williams deaths. In the span of two months in 2007, cornerback Darrent Williams and running back Damien Nash passed away. The Broncos had never had an active player die before that.

6. Replacing Elway. Everyone knows the replacements. Brian Griese. Jake Plummer. Jay Cutler. Kyle Orton. They have combined for one playoff win since quarterback John Elway retired.

5. Oakland Raiders. Broncos fans don’t like the Raiders, and it dates back to Oakland pounding Denver in the early days of the rivalry. From 1963-71, Denver beat Oakland once, and the Raiders rolled off 14 straight wins at one point.

4. Hall of Fame snubs. The Broncos have long argued they are underrepresented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2004 quarterback John Elway finally broke through, and offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman has since joined him.

3. Signing picks. In their early AFL years the Broncos drafted great players like Dick Butkus, Bob Hayes, Bob Brown and Merlin Olsen. All of them went to the NFL. The Broncos didn’t sign a first-round pick until Floyd Little in 1967.

2. Elway winning the big one. For years, Elway’s legacy was that he couldn’t win a Super Bowl, losing in his first three trips. That reputation grew larger after Jacksonville upset Denver in the 1996 playoffs.

1. Keeping the franchise viable. The Phipps brothers taking over ownership and a season-ticket push kept the Broncos from moving, and a fundraising drive by fans later in the lean 1960s once again kept the team from fleeing Denver. 

BARREL MAN DIES

DENVER — Relatives say Tim McKernan, 69, the Denver Broncos fan known for wearing little more than a barrel at games, has died of lung disease, The Associated Press reported.

For 30 years, in all types of weather, McKernan donned a barrel and cheered on the Broncos, first at Mile High Stadium and then later at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

He retired from being the Barrel Man after the 2007 Broncos season.

“He liked the attention, he loved inspiring the fans and had a take-charge attitude,” McKernan's son, Todd - who was 17 when his dad first donned the costume - told The Denver Post.

“My kids grew up knowing grandpa in the barrel,” he added.

McKernan sold the barrel he wore for Super Bowl XXXII for $30,000. It was autographed by 49 players and was sold to a Black Hawk casino. McKernan gave part of the proceeds to a battered women’s shelter.