The Broncos Have The Chiefs In A Scary Place!

It was good to see Denver playing a complete game in all three phases of the game. For most of the year, the defense has been doing the heavy lifting while the offense and special teams struggled mightily. On Sunday, though, that wasn’t the case.

Let’s begin with the offense. It was far from a perfect game, but it had rhythm early. The Broncos scored on their opening possession for the first time since early in the season. It was just a field goal, but it allowed the defense to pin their ears back and play aggressively.

The offense punched it in on an 89-yard drive in the third quarter after the defense got a turnover in the red zone. It was important to see them put up points in a quarter that Denver has struggled in.

The defense, as usual, was magnificent. The unit forced three sacks and got a red-zone interception. More than anything, they were clutch.

When the offense was sputtering a bit early in the fourth quarter, the defense forced two straight three-and-outs. One was when the Chiefs were up 19-16, and the other was when it was tied at 19-19. Patrick Mahomes has made a living off of game-winning drives with four or five minutes to go.

Denver’s defense made sure the Chiefs did nothing in their final two possessions. Finally, the unit that was arguably the most clutch was special teams. It’s been a struggle for most of the year, but not on Sunday.

First off, Marvin Mims had a 70-yard return early in the game that allowed the Broncos to extend their lead from 3-0 to 6-0. The biggest moment, though, came in the fourth quarter. Kansas City scored a touchdown with around eight minutes left to go up 19-16 with an extra point attempt to go up 20-16.

The kick, however, was blocked and kept the game at 19-16. This kept it a field goal game, and that turned out to be big because of what happened a few possessions later for Denver.

The Broncos found themselves on fourth and five on the Chiefs’ 37-yard line, which is a 54-yard field goal. Had the score been 20-16, Denver would have gone for it, but because it was only a three-point game, they could settle for a field goal, and Wil Lutz made it with ease.

That brings us to the man of the match. Mr. Lutz. The man who had his kick blocked in Kansas City a year ago to win the game had his revenge game. He made all five of his field goal attempts.

To make it even better, the game winner was the same distance as it was in Arrowhead when it was blocked. Both sat at 35 yards. This time, though, he booted it right through and essentially ended the nine-year streak of the Chiefs winning the division.

The Chiefs Are In Dangerous Territory

From the Chiefs’ side, this loss was terrifying. They were coming off a bye where Andy Reid was 22-4 before Sunday. The week before, they had lost to Buffalo, so there was no way they were going to lose, right?

Kansas City not being able to win a must-win game is concerning. In years past, whenever they needed a win, they got it. Whether it be the regular season or the postseason, they found a way.

This year, the Chiefs have not been able to close games. They are 0-5 in one-possession games. A complete 180 from the 12-0 record in such games in 2024.

This stat tells me they are not, at this moment, a championship team. Can they get it together later in the year? Of course, as it would be silly to count this team out, given their track record.

As of right now, though, Kansas City is not fit to win it all. Not only are they most likely not winning the division, but the playoffs are a real question. They are 5-5 and sit in ninth in the AFC behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. The Jaguars are 6-4, sitting at seventh, and have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs.

Jacksonville is essentially two games ahead. The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers are fifth and sixth, respectively, and both of them have beaten the Chiefs. Kansas City is not going to win the tiebreakers, so they have to essentially run the table or win six out of the last seven.

It’s crazy to think that the Chiefs have a real possibility of missing the playoffs after going to three straight Super Bowls.

End Of My Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs Rant

Denver does not fear Kansas City. The Broncos have won three of their last four games against the Chiefs. Bo Nix was the better quarterback on Sunday, and you can argue that he has played better in both games against Mahomes.

The Broncos have a real shot to get the one seed. They will be competing with the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. For the Chiefs, they need to find a way to get it in.

The game against the Colts next week could be Kansas City’s season. What a crazy season it has been!