This time, against a revamped defense that has improved in the run game despite injury problems, Johnson met his match.

The Broncos turned in one of their best efforts against the run this season, throttling Johnson and coming up with a huge stop on the Chiefs' final offensive play of the game to preserve a 24-17 comeback win Sunday.

"After the way we lost that last (Kansas City) game by being dominated on the ground, I don't think we liked that too much," said cornerback Josh Bell, who helped save a potential Kansas City field-goal attempt by throwing Johnson for a 7-yard loss early in the second half. "The players put the onus on themselves to come out here and execute and do their jobs and get the job done."

Johnson lumbered through the Broncos defense for 198 yards on 28 carries Sept. 28 during the Chiefs' 33-19 win, part of a 213-yard effort Kansas City put together on the ground that day.

Sunday was an entirely different story as Johnson struggled to gain 36 yards on 11 carries.

After averaging 7.1 yards in the previous meeting, Johnson managed only 3.3 yards a carry and had a paltry 2.5-yard average through three quarters, even though Kansas City never trailed to that point.

The Chiefs finished with 83 rushing yards, the third-best effort by the Broncos against the run this season.

"We have improved in our rushing defense and I think we showed that today," coach Mike Shanahan said. "To hold (Johnson) to 3.3 yards per carry, it's really hard to do, especially being such a great running back."

The Chiefs altered their offense since the first meeting, moving to a spread formation to use the running skills of quarterback Tyler Thigpen as a viable rushing option in addition to Johnson.

While Thigpen averaged 5.7 yards on six carries, his final rush was thwarted by a timely tackle from cornerback Dre Bly.

On fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Thigpen attempted to score the tying touchdown with a run up the middle, only to have Bly bring him down inches short of the goal line.

"We knew when you take away (Thigpen's) first guy, he didn't really go to the second or third. . . . Knowing the situation . . . I knew the ball had to come out quick. If it didn't, he was going to tuck it and run, and I just read him the whole time."