Kansas City’s fifth loss of the season featured too many miscues.
On Sunday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs lost 22-19 to the Denver Broncos, falling to 5-5 on the season.
The Chiefs’ passing offense started ugly — and then finished that way
From the jump, Kansas City’s pass offense was not in sync.
On the second play of the opening drive, quarterback Patrick Mahomes loaded up and launched a deep pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy streaking away from coverage. The throw went too far for Worthy, falling in front of him as he headed toward the end zone.
Two plays later, looking to convert third-and-10, Mahomes let it rip down the right sideline to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton — only for the ball to fall to the turf in front of him.
The Chiefs’ passing offense only survived because of significant defensive pass interference penalties that provided two of the team’s biggest gains.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice missed opportunities to help get things rolling. Looking to get into field-goal range before halftime, Mahomes bought time and gave Rice a catchable pass on the sideline that he dropped. Right out of the intermission, Rice couldn’t hang onto a well-placed throw in tight coverage.
In the third quarter, Kansas City drove into the red zone with an efficient passing game. But the offense stalled — and an extended play by Mahomes ended with an interception. That negated a chance to kick a field goal to take the lead.
Late in the game, the Chiefs got their act together to score touchdowns on two consecutive drives, giving the team a three-point lead. However, Kansas City went three-and-out with a chance to secure the 19-16 advantage — and then again when the score was tied with under four minutes remaining. That gave the Broncos the opportunity to win the game.
It was a disheartening performance from the Chiefs’ pass offense as a whole — but specifically from Mahomes. Despite being sacked three times, he had plenty of opportunities to make throws from a clean pocket.
There was undisciplined play after the bye week
Following a week off, the Chiefs had far too many miscues — especially from the special teams unit.
Following Kansas City’s opening three-and-out, Denver punt returner Marvin Mims took the punt 70 yards to the Chiefs’ 21-yard line. Reserve cornerback Kevin Knowles added to the damage by drawing a flag for illegally blocking above the waist, setting up the Broncos at the 11-yard line with a 3-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, kicker Harrison Butker’s kickoff landed short of the landing zone, giving Denver possession at the 40-yard line when the Chiefs trailed 6-3.
On a first-half drive that ended in a field goal, left guard Kingsley Suamataia set the offense back with a 10-yard penalty for illegal use of hands. Later in the same possession, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was called for holding twice in three snaps — dooming a possession that had reached the Broncos’ 5-yard line.
In the third quarter, the point-after attempt following the go-ahead touchdown was blocked, keeping the score at 19-16. That turned out to be costly, giving Denver the freedom to tie the game instead of needing a touchdown later.
Overall, the Chiefs were called for 10 penalties and committed just one turnover. The team’s situational execution on offense could have been better: Kansas City converted only five of 13 third-down attempts and failed to turn three of four red-zone drives into touchdowns.
In the second half, the dam broke on the defense
The Chiefs’ defense deserves a lot of credit for keeping the score at 6-6 through two quarters. The unit typically gives way on opening drives — but in the red zone, it held a threatening Broncos offense to a field goal to end a 14-play possession — Denver’s longest of the afternoon.
Then — despite being set up for failure by the punt coverage — Kansas City stalemated the Broncos. Denver mustered only five yards and a field goal on its drive starting 11 yards from the goal line.
In the first half, the Chiefs allowed only one first down after giving up five on the opening drive. But it was a different story in the third and fourth quarters. Denver used play-action to set up explosive pass plays and sustain drives. Kansas City allowed a touchdown and a field goal on the first two possessions after halftime.
But the dam finally broke on the last two possessions. The Chiefs were unable to prevent the Broncos from reaching field-goal range — allowing the tying and game-winning kicks with under five minutes remaining. The final drive began at the Chiefs’ 21-yard line and featured two converted third downs that ultimately sealed the defeat.
Kansas City’s lack of pass rush on third-and-long stood out, but the defensive play-calling was also questionable. It was clear Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was not comfortable dealing with pressure — yet on those crucial plays, he was allowed the time he needed.
