Positive, Negative and Dreadful From Chiefs’ Loss Thursday

Positive

As ugly as it was – Denver outgained Kansas City 303-139 and dominated in time of possession, 39:28 to 20:32 – the experience the Chiefs gave several players was invaluable.

“Tonight, we got to play a lot of young guys,” Andy Reid said afterward, “which is a positive. And they're following what the veterans are all about, their culture that they've established here. So, that's a positive that we can take out of this thing.”

Watch Andy Reid discuss below...

Chris Oladokun led the way, making his first NFL start. Both Oladokun and Gardner Minshew – whose Week 16 knee injury reportedly didn’t tear ligaments -- are free agents after this season. But if the Chiefs want Oladokun back to run the offseason program, training camp and preseason while Patrick Mahomes works his way back, Oladokun showed a lot Thursday night.

In 13 drives so far over the last two games, Oladokun has steered the Chiefs into at least field-goal position on seven of them (53.9 percent). He also embraced his leadership role, breaking down the pregame huddle and displaying an intangible the Chiefs need if he’s going to lead them through the offseason.

“My message was, it's all on us,” he said after the game. “This game isn't about them. It's about us. Obviously, we know our situation, and we're not going to the playoffs, and they're fighting for a 1 seed.

“But I truly believed the whole week, even on a short week, that we were going to go out and win. And we were maybe just one or two plays short there at the end. But I told them, it's about us, and what better time to be the Grinch on Christmas night, and we almost got it done.”

Negative

Xavier Worthy has been an enigma this season. The Chiefs’ first-round selection in the 2024 draft, Worthy clearly isn’t healthy. Since the season’s third play in Brazil, when Travis Kelce accidentally dislocated Worthy’s shoulder, the wide receiver hasn’t been the same.

He had zero catches in Thursday’s loss. Two of his three targets came on consecutive plays during Kansas City’s first drive. On the first, he stepped out of bounds while making the catch. Spatial awareness hasn’t been Worthy’s strong suit, and it’s something he must improve next season.

Thursday was a difficult night, though. In 34 career games, including playoffs, Worthy has played only four in which he didn’t make a catch. The other three were that three-snap loss in Brazil, an overtime win over Tampa Bay in 2024 and last season’s finale at Denver, in which he played just one snap.

Dreadful

If Denver goes on to enjoy postseason success, the Broncos can look back on what they did Christmas night in one area. They won the game by converting third downs in the second half. After Chris Jones sacked Bo Nix early in the fourth quarter to force a punt, the Broncos proceeded to convert three of their final four third downs.

The only time Kansas City stopped the Broncos in that stretch, just before the two-minute warning to set up fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line, Jones committed a monumental error. He jumped offside to give Denver a first down and set up a go-ahead touchdown.

“I know, man, I know,” he said after the game. “I'm beating myself up. I could have saved us four points. I felt like the guard moved, but yeah, critical situation. I gotta be better. Gonna beat myself up about that one. So close. I know it, man, I know it. We were right there.”

But the third down that put the Chiefs in that situation earlier in the drive was another critical breakdown: Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s 17-yard catch on third-and-10 to get Denver into Chiefs territory.

Denver converted 61.1 percent of third downs (11 of 18), a season-worst for the Chiefs’ defense. Over the past two games, Kansas City has allowed opponents to convert at 57.1 percent (20 of 35). The Broncos were 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) after halftime on Thursday.

For a defense that has played particularly well much of the year – Steve Spagnuolo’s unit ended the season having held all nine home opponents to 20 points or less – third downs are an alarming concern. Capitalizing on their gift of time, that area is something the Chiefs must improve next season.

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