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Aqib Talib Apologizes For Shoving Jordan Norwood

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (The Sports Xchange) - Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib plays on a jagged emotional edge, and when he shoved wide receiver Jordan Norwood on the sideline during the fourth quarter on Sunday night, he fell over it.

Talib pushed Norwood after the receiver muffed his second punt return of the night, allowing Kansas City to regain possession at their 41-yard line and sending the defense back onto the field after getting a stop while trailing the Chiefs 16-10. Talib said he apologized to Norwood on Monday, but both players looked to squelch the incident and move on.

"Me and Aqib sat down one-on-one and talked a little bit and made sure we're on the same page," Norwood said. "He's an emotional player; everybody knows that, everybody sees that. He wants this team to win, just as I do."

Kansas City Chiefs v Denver Broncos
Cornerback Aqib Talib of the Denver Broncos and Brandon Marshall combine to tackle running back Spencer Ware of the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 27, 2016, in Denver. (credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak chalked up the incident to competitiveness.

"Obviously, emotions get in the way and those are things that we have to talk about. We have to control our emotions," Kubiak said. "It's a very competitive environment down there. There was no harm intended. I can tell you that. Those two guys are fine and we'll continue to compete."

Kubiak also defended Bennie Fowler for running all the way to the end zone with a 76-yard touchdown reception with three minutes remaining rather than taking a knee to allow the offense to keep possession and delay a potential Chiefs comeback drive.

The decision proved costly, of course, as Kansas City marched 75 yards to the game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion with 12 seconds left in regulation. But both Kubiak and Fowler thought the decision was the right one, given that three minutes remained -- even with the Chiefs out of timeouts.

On paper, it seems Fowler should have taken a knee.

"I disagree with that," Kubiak said when asked about it Monday. "There is a lot of football left to play. We're going to go score right there and keep playing. We have a great defense, so, no."

That defense had limited Kansas City to 145 yards on its first 10 possessions before the late touchdown drive.

"In that situation, you're 75 yards out. We're not in a situation where we're thinking about that; there's three minutes left," Fowler said. "If I had to do it all over again, I would."

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