Your Kansas City Chiefs officially have their backs against the proverbial wall.
They came into Sunday’s critical road matchup against the Denver Broncos with a chance to start turning the tide on the season.
It was a defensive battle that was filled with penalties and missed opportunities. In the end, the Broncos were able to close it out — after Kansas City couldn’t — to claim a 22-19 victory.
That’s been the story of the AFC West this season: Denver is winning the close games, while Kansas City is losing them. There’s plenty of blame and frustration to go around. The key factor now is how the team will respond — starting with Sunday’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are a few Chiefs who stood out against Denver.
Winners
Tight end Travis Kelce: There were some big moments for the player who is now the team’s all-time touchdowns leader. It wasn’t his most efficient performance (nine catches on 13 targets), as a couple of opportunities went through his hands. But Kelce had a game-high 91 yards receiving and scored a touchdown on a great move.
The Chiefs’ run defense: For all of our worries about having the right talent on defense, Kansas City has been very good against the run this season. On Sunday, the defense held a good rushing offense to 59 yards on 21 carries. The linebackers and secondary are generally very good tacklers — as evidenced by the fact that Denver’s longest run was an eight-yard scamper by quarterback Bo Nix.
Cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace and defensive back Chamarri Conner: The cornerback rotation was puzzling, as cornerback Kristian Fulton took snaps from rookie corner Nohl Williams. But both Roland-Wallace and Conner were active and physical against the Broncos, contributing 15 combined tackles. Conner got to Nix on a blitz to start the game, and Roland-Wallace later helped end a drive with a pass defended.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones: It’s been a quiet season for the All-Pro, but Jones made his presence felt in Week 11. His sack of Nix on the 5-yard line likely took four Denver points off the board. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton: To be clear, I’m not on the “Thornton needs to be the No. 1 receiver” train. But he is the guy who gets open deep and tends to come down with the ball more often than most. He has a role, and Sunday’s 61-yard catch was a great example. On third-and-7, the sputtering offense needed someone to make a play. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes launched one and Thornton made sure to come down with it, setting up the team’s first touchdown of the afternoon.
Left tackle Josh Simmons: Welcome back, young man. Simmons was excellent in his return against a dangerous pass rush. I also noticed his run blocking on more than one occasion. Sure, there were some penalties, but his present and future are bright — and we hope his family is doing well.
Losers
Wide receiver Rashee Rice: It wasn’t just the lack of overall production — just 38 yards from six catches. It was the two brutal drops that stalled drives and deflated the offense. Rice is the team’s No. 1 wideout. He simply has to make those plays.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Maybe it was the altitude, but it was frustrating watching Mahomes miss on deep passes that could have broken the game open. The pass protection was good enough to push the ball down the field. But Mahomes couldn’t find open receivers in time or move the ball with his legs — and he threw two interceptions on one drive. (Thankfully, one was overturned by a penalty). The most disheartening thing was the failure to execute the four-minute drill. Whether the problem was with play-calling or execution isn’t clear — but when Kansas City gets the ball with 4:10 left in a tied game, we should expect to see Mahomes lead a game-winning drive.
Head coach Andy Reid: Coming out of a bye week, we hoped to see more answers. When facing a familiar division opponent and a defensive coordinator who gives the Chiefs fits, we hoped for some variation and creativity. When receivers weren’t getting open and were dropping passes, so we hoped to see a running game. When the game was on the line, we hoped they could move the ball. Penalties were a huge problem. Special teams were a problem. Play-calling was a problem. We didn’t see a lot of answers on Sunday — and that’s on the coach and his staff.
Running offense: Running back Kareem Hunt did what he could (13 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown), but no other back even had a carry. Reid said there were runs called, but they “turned into passes.” That feels like an excuse that shifts some blame to Mahomes. But the lack of a running game is an organizational issue that runs from personnel to playcalling to execution.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor: The Chiefs were flagged 10 times for 69 yards lost. Two of those penalties were on Taylor, including yet another illegal-formation call. How is this still an issue?
Defensive end Mike Danna: The pass rush hasn’t been good enough. On a day where we saw contributions from defensive lineman Charles Omenihu, Jones and defensive end George Karlaftis, it was that much more glaring that Danna was conspicuously quiet. Paid a decent-sized contract, Danna now has one sack and four tackles on the season.
Please note: the labels “winners” and “losers” are not judgments of talent or character. They simply reflect single-game performance. No disrespect is intended.
