TheDenver Broncos' final defensive stand against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 of the regular season will likely go down as one of the best in franchise history. The Chiefs drove inside the 5-yard line with just over a minute left, and that's where they would stay, at least until the final play of regulation, when Kansas City was called for a crucial false start penalty on fourth down.
The man who stopped Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the final play, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, broke down the final sequence after the game.
"I remember they moved it down, we stopped them," Roach said after the game. "(Backup safety) JL (Skinner) made a big tackle on the goal line, and we got the false start and bagged it up. We kind of knew they were
about to throw it in because the clock couldn’t run. Like I said, ‘Coop’ (Jonathon Cooper) did a great job rushing off the edge, and once he flushed them, I just did my job. We were trying to crush the red zone and [Mahomes] stepped up right to me and just had to get him down.”
Linebacker Alex Singleton, who led all defenders from Denver and Kansas City with 14 total tackles and a sack, said that the unit has a lot of confidence in themselves in situations where their backs are against the wall.
"I think from last week, Houston last year, now this week, and then just short-yardage in general, we’ve played really good football," Singleton said. "There’s a lot of confidence in our defense in those situations. I think we’re almost more comfortable there than we are in the open field sometimes.”
Pass-rusher Nik Bonitto put it simply: "Just guys trying to make a play at the end of the day."
“Just guys trying to make a play.”
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) November 2, 2026
🗣️Nik Bonitto on the @Broncos defense closing it out against the @Chiefs #broncoscountry pic.twitter.com/46yImjovay
Quarterback Bo Nix knew the Bronco defense would get the job done. The defense bailed them out many times last season, from overtime wins to turnovers in crucial situations.
"They’re incredible," Nix said in his postgame press conference. "They just play really tough. They’re very resilient and they proved it again today. They just battle and battle and battle over and over and over, and that’s what they’ve showed consistently really since I’ve been here. That’s been the defense we’ve had, and they’ve helped win us a lot of football games.”
🗣️ QB Bo Nix on the performance of the Broncos defense this year:
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) November 2, 2026
"They've helped win us a lot of football games."#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/3Z30sZScsc
Wide receiver Marvin Mims held his breath along with the rest of Broncos Country during the final four plays on the goal line.
"My heart was racing," Mims said. "Out of all the games we’ve had, that’s probably the toughest one to actually like to sit there and watch because my heart was just pumping the whole time. I was just sitting on the bench, not much I could do. But just a huge belief in our defense. I mean, they have saved our butts multiple times since I’ve been here. So knowing that they’ll pull out at the end of the game, the amount of clutch players we have on this team, on this defense. We just knew something good was going to happen towards the end.”
Although the 28-24 win over the Chiefs was a huge shift for the dynamics and standings for the AFC West and the AFC playoff picture as a whole, All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain knows there is still a lot of football to be played.
"Job isn’t finished," Surtain said. "We got way more games ahead. I definitely think this builds momentum going on towards further out throughout the season, and we just got to continue to capitalize and continue to stack these wins.”
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos’ resilient defense came through again: ‘They’re incredible’
