Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

How a long snapper got Chiefs' winning streak over Broncos rolling

Newsflash: The Kansas City Chiefs own the Denver Broncos, winning the past 13 games between the teams. 

You may not know that this epic stretch of dominance got rolling because of a heads-up play by long snapper James Winchester.

In 2016, the 7-3 Chiefs faced the 7-3 Broncos in a crucial AFC West showdown. Ahead 16-10 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were forced to punt. Broncos returner Jordan Norwood muffed the catch, and Winchester jumped on the ball for the recovery.

Winchester's momentum-changing play came two weeks after his father was killed in a shooting.

Who knows how the game would have ended if Kansas City had not extended its possession? Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos won the game as time expired, doinking a field goal off an upright and in. The win extended the Chiefs' winning streak to two over the Broncos.

Winchester is in his eighth year in Kansas City. He is the second-longest tenured player on the team, behind only tight end Travis Kelce. 

After Super Bowl LIV, Winchester dedicated the Chiefs win to his father. 

Winchester and Kelce are the only players on the roster who have lost to Denver.

Kansas City's last loss in the series came Sept. 17, 2015, when current Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was a starter at Texas Tech.

Kansas City (9-3) aims to extend the epic streak Sunday at Denver (3-9).

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