On Sunday, the (6-9) Kansas City Chiefs are home at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, taking on the (12-3) Denver Broncos. Let’s see how the game plays out in Madden NFL 26.
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First quarter
The Broncos receive the opening kickoff, but the first play of the game is immediately halted as Chiefs’ defensive lineman Mike Danna goes down with an ankle injury.
Quarterback Bo Nix settles in early, converting first downs with completions to Courtland Sutton, RJ Harvey, and Marvin Mims Jr. The drive stalls just outside the Chiefs’ 30-yard line, but Will Lutz connects on a field goal to put the Broncos on the board first.
The Chiefs’ opening possession goes nowhere. Chris Oladokun tries to keep the drive alive with a quarterback scramble but is stopped a yard short, forcing a three-and-out.
Back on offense, Nix and the Broncos lean on the short passing game, utilizing drag routes and slants to move the chains. Mims Jr. turns a short catch into a 15-yard gain after the catch, while running back Harvey provides a spark on the ground with runs of 22 and 14 yards. Harvey caps the quarter with six carries for 46 yards.
End of first quarter: Broncos 3, Chiefs 0
Second quarter
The Broncos are driving deep into the Chiefs’ red zone as the first quarter comes to an end. On the opening play of the second quarter, Nix finds Sutton in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. During the extra-point attempt, Bryan Cook goes down with an injury.
Kansas City’s ensuing drive is a disaster. The Chiefs fail to gain positive yardage as Alex Singleton sacks Chris Oladokun on first down, followed by sacks from Zach Allen on second down and Nik Bonitto on third, forcing another quick punt.
Things go from bad to bizarre moments later with the first-ever “Madden glitch” of the game. Long snapper James Winchester never snaps the ball and appears frozen in place. The Broncos’ pass rush shoves Winchester out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety.
Denver capitalizes immediately, scoring on its next two offensive plays. Bo Nix connects with Troy Franklin for 25 yards, then hits Sutton on a 36-yard strike that Sutton takes to the house for another touchdown.
The Chiefs briefly answer as Oladokun delivers a perfect slant to Hollywood Brown, who races 75 yards for the score.
The Broncos continue to pile it on with an eight-play drive, capped by a Nix quarterback sneak from the one-yard line for the touchdown.
Oladokun later flashes with a 16-yard first-down run, but the following series moves backward as Denver’s defense brings him down twice more, adding to an already growing sack total.
Will Lutz closes the quarter by drilling another field goal, putting three more points on the board for Denver.
End of second quarter: Broncos 29, Chiefs 7
Third quarter
The Chiefs open the second half with a promising drive, moving the ball deep into Broncos territory and inside the 10-yard line. But the momentum vanishes in a hurry. Jonathan Cooper drops Oladokun for Denver’s sixth sack of the game, and on the very next play, John Franklin-Myers follows with the seventh.
Harrison Butker comes on to try to salvage the drive, but his field goal attempt is blocked.
Denver takes advantage once again, as Will Lutz knocks through another field goal to extend the Broncos’ lead.
The Broncos’ defense continues to dominate on the following possession when Dre Greenlaw swallows up Oladokun for Denver’s eighth sack of the game.
End of third quarter: Broncos 32, Chiefs 7
Fourth quarter
Travis Kelce finally gets involved in the offense, hauling in a 17-yard catch and run to move the Chiefs to the Denver 31-yard line.
Later in the drive, Oladokun tries to extend the play inside the Broncos’ 20. Rolling left with Bonitto in pursuit, Oladokun is hit as his arm comes forward. The ball pops loose and flutters through the air before landing perfectly in the hands of Alex Singleton, who comes down with the interception.
Will Lutz adds three more points to end the Broncos’ scoring.
Final score: Broncos 35, Chiefs 7
Notable stats
- Bo Nix: 24 for 27 passing, 265 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Chris Oladokun: 9 for 13 passing, 182 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 6 carries, 45 yards
- RJ Harvey: 16 carries, 146 yards
- Kareem Hunt: 3 carries, 11 yards
- Isiah Pacheco: 2 carries, 10 yards
- Xavier Worthy: 2 receptions, 36 yards
- Travis Kelce: 2 receptions, 35 yards
- Hollywood Brown: 2 receptions, 97 yards, 1 touchdown
- Troy Franklin: 8 receptions, 96 yards
- Marvin Mims Jr: 7 receptions, 75 yards
- Courtland Sutton: 4 receptions, 67 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Alex Singleton: 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception
- Dre Greenlaw: 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack
- Nik Bonitto: 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks
- Zach Allen: 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack
In Week 18, the Chiefs are on the road to close out the season, taking on the Las Vegas Raiders — and we’ll give you a preview from the EA Universe!
