The Kansas City Chiefs fought valiantly against the tough division rival Denver Broncos on Christmas Day but came up short and lost 20-13 in what may have been star tight end Travis Kelce’s last game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
While Kansas City was heavily outmatched and the statistics say Denver dominated, the Chiefs held their own despite their plethora of injuries and only lost by one score.
Denver got out to an early three-point lead in the first quarter before Kansas City rookie running back Brashard Smith caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Oladokun at the beginning of the second quarter. It was the first touchdown in the careers of Smith and Oladokun.
Oladokun didn’t do much but manage the game, as he completed 13 of 22 passes for just 66 yards and the touchdown to Smith. He was only sacked once for a loss of nine yards but he didn’t turn the ball over and kept Kansas City in the game.
“Well, the Chiefs possessed the ball for fewer than 21 minutes Thursday night, which wasn't great for Oladokun, Kansas City's third-string quarterback,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote Friday. “But when he had limited opportunities, Oladokun showed he is capable of being a quality game manager. In just 16 attempts prior to the final drive, Oladokun never put the ball in danger. Instead, he had some nice moments scrambling and improvising to create yards. Even in suboptimal circumstances late -- less than two minutes left and only one timeout -- Oladokun was able to get the ball to the Broncos' 21-yard line. But his final pass of the game, a deep pass into the end zone on fourth-and-8, was too high for receiver Hollywood Brown.”
Oladokun may not have led the fourth quarter comeback, but he did make some plays that looked Patrick Mahomes-esque, which had to elicit some excitement for Chiefs fans. Kelce spoke about Oladokun after the game and praised the 28-year-old.
“‘That's the first time I've ever seen someone try to draw the defense to them by fumbling it,’ Kelce said of Oladokun while laughing. ‘That was like a little yo-yo trick he put on. I'm proud of him, man, throughout the week, his attention to detail and his professionalism and his leadership. I couldn't be happier for the guy. Obviously, I wish we could've gotten that win for him [in] a big game against a rival. I'm proud of the way he led us and kept fighting.’”
Kansas City battled but ultimately came up short and fell to 6-10. They will end the season with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18.