The Broncos stayed atop the AFC West with their fourth win in as many weeks, and Oakland dropped into a tie with San Diego as the Chiefs lost their third consecutive game. (All photos by AP Images unless otherwise noted)
The Broncos' rushing attack got its breakthrough on Sunday with a 72-yard touchdown run from Ronnie Hillman. The Broncos totaled 144 yards on the ground against the Vikings.
Despite a 48-yard touchdown, the Broncos defense held Adrian Peterson to just 81 yards.
After safety T.J. Ward sacked Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater and forced a fumble, Von Miller recovered it and sealed the victory.
After entering the game as the favorites, the Raiders struggled on the road against the Bears. They battled back from an early deficit with this 26-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper for their first score of the day.
Bears QB Jay Cutler returned to the lineup after missing the previous week with an injury. He threw for two touchdowns and an interception against the Raiders defense.
After the Raiders hit a go-ahead field goal with 2:05 left in regulation, the Bears mounted a 48-yard drive to get into field-goal position and Robbie Gould hit a 49-yard game-winning kick.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen caught this 28-yard pass to put the Chargers up 7-3 in the first quarter. The passing attack would be San Diego's most potent weapon against Cleveland.
QB Philip Rivers found the end zone for the second time with this third-quarter touchdown to tight end Ladarius Green.
After last-second missed field goal was called back for offsides on Cleveland, kicker Josh Lambo got to try again from five yards closer. He hit his second try and ended the Chargers' two-game skid.
The Chiefs' normally vicious pass rush couldn't get to Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton once, and Dalton took advantage, completing 17 of his 24 attempts for 321 yards and a touchdown, with an average completion of 18.9 yards.
But the Bengals pass rush certainly had success on Sunday as they sacked Smith five times for a loss of 38 yards. The Chiefs' offense couldn't get in the end zone once against Cincinnati, instead settling for seven field goals.
Running back Jeremy Hill was able to punch the ball into the end zone three times, succeeding on each red-zone attempt. The Chiefs tumbled to their third straight loss.
For the fourth straight week, the Denver Broncos sit atop the AFC West rankings with an unblemished 4-0 record. The Broncos also became the only team in the division to hold a winning record through the first month of play. But with four games down, the 2015 regular season is just 25 percent complete.
Here's how the AFC West fared in Week 4:
Denver Broncos (4-0)
Last outing: W 23-20 vs. Minnesota
Standout performers: The defense continued to step up to the plate for the Broncos in the final minutes of the game. Safety T.J. Ward tallied two sacks on the day, including a strip-sack fumble on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater that outside linebacker Von Miller jumped on in the final seconds to seal the victory. Quarterback Peyton Manning continued to got more comfortable under Head Coach Gary Kubiak's scheme and the run game saw a promising spark in running back Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard touchdown sprint.
Up next: The Broncos will look to extend their 13-game divisional road winning streak – the current NFL record – with a contest in Oakland (2-2).
Oakland Raiders (2-2)
Last outing: L 22-20 @ Chicago
Standout performers: In a week where the league saw kickers struggle, the Raiders gave the Bears their first win of the season with a game-winning field goal. Defensive end Aldon Smith had a strong showing on defense with one sack and five defensive stops, according to Pro Football Focus. Second-year quarterback Derek Carr also remained consistent for the Raiders, completing 20 of 33 passes with two touchdowns and an interception.
Up next: The Raiders will host AFC West foe Denver (4-0) in hopes of handing the Broncos their first loss.
- Allie Raymond
San Diego Chargers (2-2)
Last outing: W 30-27 vs. Cleveland
Standout performers: In a game with the Chargers starting their backups at left tackle, left guard and center, QB Philip Rivers held the offense together. Rivers' passes made up for 73 percent of the yards on the Chargers' scoring drives against Cleveland. After four interceptions and two fumbles in the first three games of the season, Rivers had zero in Week 4 as San Diego beat the Browns on a last-second game-winning field goal that kicker Josh Lambo got to retry after an offsides penalty against Cleveland negated a missed 39-yarder.
Up next: The Chargers welcome the Steelers (2-2) to town.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-3)
Last outing: L 36-21 @ Cincinnati
Standout performers: With their third consecutive loss, the Chiefs struggled on both sides of the ball. The defense allowed the Bengals to score touchdowns on each red-zone trip and the offense couldn't get into the end zone from the red zone in any of their three attempts. Ultimately, kicker Cairo Santos was the only Chief to score, hitting seven of seven field goals as Kansas City fell by 15 points.
Up next: Hoping to stop this skid, the Chiefs return home in Week 5 to take on the Bears (1-3), who are coming off their first win of the season.
- Ben Swanson
