Final score: Broncos defeat Chiefs 22-19 in Week 11

In the NFL’s Week 11, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their second straight game to one of the AFC’s top teams, falling to 5-5 with a 22-19 loss to the division-leading Denver Broncos on Empower Field at Mile High. The loss doesn’t mathematically eliminate the Chiefs from winning their 10th straight AFC West title, but the Broncos’ win gives them a 9-2 record that makes them nearly unassailable at the top spot. To make the postseason, Kansas City will now almost certainly need to secure a Wild Card spot —

and it’s looking harder and harder for the team to make that happen.

First quarter

The Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred. Harrison Butker’s kickoff found the end zone, starting the Broncos at their own 35-yard line. On the game’s first play, safety Chamarri Conner came off the blitz to drop Broncos quarterback Bo Nix for a six-yard loss. Nix would make short completions on the next to plays, however, to move the chains. The next set of downs started with running back R.J. Harvey being tackled for a one-yard loss. Nix was then incomplete deep to Troy Franklin. On third-and-11 from the Denver 45, Nix found Courtland Sutton for 21 yards to the Kansas City 34. Nix eluded pressure from Chris Jones for an eight-yard completion to tight end Evan Engram, and running back Jaleel McLaughlin moved the chains — and then started the next set of downs with a six-yard carry. Wide receiver Pat Bryant caught his second pass of the drive to set up a first down at the 12. After an ill-advised trick play nearly saw Harvey throw an interception, Engram caught a seven-yard pass to set up third-and-3 from the five-yard line. Jones got to Nix this time for a six-yard sack. Will Lutz came on for a 29-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead.

Nikko Remigio took Lutz’ kickoff in the end zone and returned to the Kansas City 28-yard line to start the drive. Patrick Mahomes connected with wideout Rashee Rice on the first play for an 11-yard gain. On the next play, Mahomes badly overthrew Xavier Worthy deep — who would have scored had the two connected. Mahomes then could not connect with tight end Noah Gray to set up third-and-10. Mahomes was incomplete on a third-straight throw, this time deep to Tyquan Thornton. Matt Araiza came on to punt. Marvin Mims returned the punt back 68-yards, and a rare blocking penalty on the kicking team gave Denver 15 more yards to start their drive at the Kansas City 11-yard line.

Harvey started the short-field drive with a four-yard gain before gaining only a yard on his next carry. On third-and-5 from the six-yard line. Leo Chenal batted Nix’s pass and nearly intercepted it. Lutz was true on a 24-yard field goal to extend Denver’s lead to 6-0.

Remigo took the kickoff on a hop and ran the ball 20 yards to start Kansas City on their own 29. Mahomes and Worthy instantly connected for ten yards. The Chiefs’ first running play saw Kareem Hunt carry for eight yards before the veteran gained five yards and a new set of downs at the Denver 47 on the next play. A penalty by guard Kingsley Suamataia, however, would then set the Chiefs ten yards back. On first-and-20, Rice could only gain four yards on a short pass. Mahomes and Worthy again did not connect deep, but a pass interference penalty on Broncos cornerback Riley Moss gave Kansas City a first down at the Denver 13. A first down throw bounced off of Rice’s hands and was nearly intercepted. Running back Brashard Smith caught a pass for eight yards, but it was negated by a holding penalty. On second-and-18 from Denver 21, Mahomes took off and took a hard shot from linebacker Nik Bonito after only a three-yard game. On third down, Rice could only advance to the 12. Butker came on for a 31-yard field goal to trim Denver’s lead to 6-3.

Butker’s kickoff did not find the landing zone, starting Denver at their own 40. McLaughlin’s first down carry took a one-yard loss. On the final play of the first quarter, McLaughlin caught a pass — five yards further back from the line of scrimmage. Denver would face third-and-16 from their own 34 after the change.

Second quarter

Engram gained only nine yards. After a pre-snap penalty, Remigio fielded Jeremy Crenshaw’s punt at the at the Kansas City four-yard line. After a seven-yard return, Kansas City would start at their own 11.

A seven-yard Hunt carry and five-yard toss to Gray quickly netted a new set of downs. A short throw to Hollywood Brown gained five yards — as Mahomes took a scary shot from defensive tackle Zach Allen. After a two-yard Hunt gain, Mahomes and Worthy connected for 12 yards on third down. Rice started the new set of downs with a five-yard catch. After Kansas City took their first timeout, Gray stretched for a first down just inside Denver territory. A four-yard Hunt carry and nine-yard completion to Rice kept the drive moving. Hunt rumbled for seven yards to the Denver 28. After an illegal motion penalty, Travis Kelce’s first catch came on second-and-8, gaining four yards to the 29. On third-and-4, Mahomes went to Kelce again for a first down inside the red zone. A holding call would push them back to the 30. Mahomes found Brown for 18 yards to set up second-and-2 at the 12, where Hunt lost a yard on the next play. On third-and-3 from the 13, Mahomes had to throw the ball away. Butker was good for his second 31-yard field goal of the game to tie the score at 6-6.

Running back Tyler Badie returned Butker’s kickoff to the 29-yard line. Bryant’s third catch of the game went for 15 yards. On the next first down, Nix threw at Sutton’s feet to avoid a sack. Harvey gained two yards on a pass to set up third-and-8 from the 44, cornerback Jaylen Watson broke up Nix’s pass to Watson. Crenshaw’s punt went out of bounds at the Kansas City 10, giving the Chiefs another possession before halftime with 3:04 remaining in the second quarter.

Worthy gained three yards on first down before Hunt gained six more. The game reached the two-minute warning with the Chiefs facing third-and-1 from their own 19. The Chiefs passed on a short run — and Mahomes took a seven-yard sack. Araiza punted from just in front of the end zone — and sent the ball out of bounds 61 yards downfield to the Denver 27.

Nix started with an eight-yard scramble. Cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace broke up a pass to Bryant on second down. On third-and-2, Nix was tackled just short of the line to gain. After running the clock to 37 seconds before a timeout, the Broncos punted. Remigio fielded Crenshaw’s punt at the Kansas City 12 — and advanced to the 24-yard line to put the offense back on the field with 27 seconds left.

Mahomes found Brown for 12-yards as the Chiefs took their second timeout. After a false start on Joshua Simmons, Mahomes nearly found Rice inside Denver territory, but the wideout could not make the catch. Kelce then could not bring in a catch on second down. Brown caught a pass on the next play for four yards. After taking their final timeout with two second remaining, Mahomes took a sack to end the half.

Third quarter

Tyquan Thornton took the kickoff and started Kansas City’s offense at their own 32. Hunt started the drive with a three-yard carry. Rice could not bring in Mahomes’ pass on second down. On third-and-7, Mahomes appeared to throw a pick-six to rookie cornerback Jadhae Barron, but the play was nullified by an illegal contact call on the other side of the field. With new life, Mahomes found Kelce for 17 yards to the Denver 43. After a four-yard carry by Hunt, Mahomes and Kelce connected on back-to-back plays for 22 combined yards to the 17. A pass to Hunt appeared to advance to the two-yard line, but an illegal formation negated the play. On first-and-15 from the 22, Robert Tonyan made his first catch of the season — but only for one yard. On second down, Mahomes was under heavy pressure and threw a screen over Hunt’s head. On third-and-14, Mahomes threw an interception that would count. After a penalty on the return, Denver’s offense would take the field at their own 11-yard line.

Nix started with a nine-yard pass to Franklin, and Harvey punched in the first down a play later. Nix was incomplete under pressure on the next play. Mims caught a pass for two yards to set up third-and-8 at the 25. Franklin caught a 35-yard pass to the Kansas City 40. Nix then connected with Sutton to the 28. Harvey gained eight yards over the next two plays before catching an 11-yard pass to set up first-and-goal at the eight. McLaughlin moved the ball to the four. A play later, the entire Broncos offense pushed McLaughlin into the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. Lutz’s extra point gave Denver a 13-7 lead.

Remigio took the kickoff to the 25-yard line to start the drive. Mahomes was badly off of Worthy on first down before finding Kelce for only three yards on second down. On third-and-7, from the 28, Mahomes finally connected with a deep shot and found Thornton for 61 yards to the Denver 11. Brashard Smith then carried to the five-yard line on first down. Rice was tackled just short of the first down marker on the next play. On third-and-1, it was Hunt’s turn to be pushed into the end zone for a touchdown. Butker’s extra point tied the score at 13-13.

A penalty on Badie’s kickoff return would start Denver at their own 20. Nix instantly found Bryant deep for 48 yards to the Kansas City 32. The third quarter came to an end with a nine-yard screen pass to Engram.

Fourth quarter

Nix was incomplete on the final frame’s first play before Harvey punched in the first down a play later. Harvey lost a yard on first down. A screen pass to Badie just found the line of scrimmage. On third-and-11, Nix could not connect with Sutton. A 38-yard Lutz field goal would put Denver back in front 16-13.

Thornton started the Chiefs at their own 26. Hunt started with an 11-yard run on first down but gained only a yard a play later. On second down, Mahomes was incomplete, and Denver declined a holding penalty to set up third-and-9 from the Kansas City 38. Mahomes appeared to scrambled to almost gain the first down, but a holding call would negate the play. On third-and-19, Mahomes could not connect with Brown, but Moss drew a second pass interference call gave the Chiefs a first down at the Denver 25. Mahomes could not connect with Kelce on first down before the tight end found four yards a play later. On third-and-6 from the 21, Kelce took a short pass — and took it to the end zone to stand alone as the Chiefs’ franchise touchdown recordholder. Butker’s extra point was blocked, however, meaning Kansas City could only take a three-point lead at 19-16.

Badie returned Butker’s kickoff to the Denver 28 to start the drive. McLaughlin started with a four-yard gain. Nix was called for intentional grounding on the next play for a six-yard loss. On third-and-16 from the 22, Nix connected with fullback Adam Prentice for 14 yards. Denver lined up to attempt the fourth down play, but a false start penalty resulted in a punt. Crenshaw’s punt was nearly blocked, but the booming kick ultimately went out of bounds at the Kansas City 12-yard line.

A sloppy game continued as the Chiefs were called for a false start to begin the drive. Five yards back, Hunt gained three yards on a first down catch. Kelce’s next catch moved to the 20, setting up third-and-2, where Mahomes was incomplete to Smith. Araiza got off a 54-yard punt, but Mims returned the ball 24 yards to start Denver at their own 45.

On first down, Nix found tight end Adam Troutman for eight yards. Harvey took the second down carry for seven yards to the Chiefs’ 40-yard line. After a five-yard Harvey carry, Nix overthrew Franklin in the end zone. On third-and-5 from the 36, Nix was incomplete to Sutton. Lutz came on for a successful 54-field goal to tie the game 19-19.

Thornton returned the kickoff to the Kansas City 26-yard line to start the drive with just over four minutes remaining. Mahomes narrowly escaped an interception going to Kelce on first down. On second-and-10, Kelce caught a pass but could not stay in bounds. On third down, Mahomes was sacked at the 14-yard line for Kansas City’s second straight three-and-out. Araiza booted the punt 66 yards. Mims could only advance to the Denver 26 to start the drive.

Nix started with a five-yard throw to Bryant. On second down, Harvey appeared to gain the first down, but a holding penalty moved the ball ten yards back. On second-and-15, Nix was incomplete deep to Franklin. On third down, Nix escaped pressure to find Sutton for 20 yards to the Denver 41. This brought the game to the two-minute warning. On first down, Harvey gained four yards. Nix’s second down pass was batted, setting up third-and-6, Sutton just found the first down as Denver neared Lutz’s field goal range. Harvey gained two yards on first down as the Chiefs took their second timeout. On second-and-8, Nix found Franklin at the 15-yard line and the Chiefs took their final timeout. Nix took a knee to center the football. Lutz’s 35-yard field goal as time expired gave Denver the 22-19 win. With the win, Denver took clear command of the AFC West, while the Chiefs will spend the next few games fighting for their playoff lives at 5-5.