The Denver Broncos finally slayed the dragon.
The Broncos edged the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-19 in a back-and-forth battle as Denver somehow managed to hold off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to go to 9-2 and take a two-game division lead.
This one gets the nod for game of the year so far, with the second half being an epic back-and-forth battle that featured one white-knuckle moment after another. The key play was a blocked extra point after a fourth-quarter Kansas City touchdown that could have put the Chiefs up by four, 20-16, but Denver was able to come back and tie the game with the fourth of five Wil Lutz field goals before the Broncos kicker hit his 35-yard game winner.
The heroes for Denver included quarterback Bo Nix, who threw for 295 yards as he went 24-for-37, with running back RJ Harvey scoring the Broncos’ lone touchdown to cap off an 11-play, 89-yard drive late in the third quarter. Lutz was another obvious hero, along with the entire Denver defense, which sacked Mahomes three times for 27 yards and pressured him constantly while adding an interception along the way.
The first half didn’t feature much scoring, however. The two teams swapped field goals, with Denver striking first, and they proceeded to do it again. Kicker Harrison Butker of the Chiefs tied the game at 3-3 before giving Kansas City a brief 6-3 lead, and Lutz countered by hitting another one to knot things up 6-6 at the half.
Both offenses woke up in the third quarter. Denver struck first with its lone touchdown drive, but Mahomes quickly led Kansas City back with a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a two yard rushing touchdown by running back Kareem Hunt. Denver went back ahead by three on yet another Lutz field goal, and that set the stage for the Chiefs’ other hero, tight end Travis Kelce, to work his magic.
Kelce put on a throwback show throughout the game, gashing the Broncos secondary constantly with nine catches for 91 yards. His fourth quarter touchdown catch featured a 20-yard run after a missed tackle by safety Talanoa Hufanga, and that reception set the career franchise record at 84. Mahomes was his usual brilliant self as well, throwing for 276 yards and going 29-for-45 while dealing with Denver’s constant pressure.
As thrilling as Kelce’s achievement was, it was marred by that blocked PAT, which completely changed the way the last ten minutes of the game were played. The Broncos were able to tie the game with another Lutz field goal, and coach Sean Payton expertly played the field-position game to set up the final Lutz field goal as the Denver defense stiffened.
Nix was simply nails in this one. He was operating mostly without a running game after the loss of running back J.K. Dobbins to a foot injury, but for most of the night it hardly seemed to matter to the Broncos young quarterback.
He stayed poised throughout the game, and in the second half he hit one big throw after another, with the biggest being a 32-yard strike to receiver Troy Franklin in the final minute that gave Denver the opportunity to run down the clock deep in Kansas City territory and force the Chiefs to use all their time outs.
Lutz hit his game-winner with just three seconds left, and the Broncos now go into their bye week riding an eight-game win streak and in control of the AFC West. They won’t see Mahomes and company again until Christmas night, and this has to be a massive confidence booster for a Denver time that has struggled lately with offensive consistency along with Dobbins’ sudden absence.