The Denver Broncos picked up their biggest win of the season on Sunday, coming back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to hold off the Kansas City Chiefs. The win put the Broncos atop the AFC West standings.
Several major discussion points emerged for the Broncos. Bo Nix turning it on in the late stages of the game once again, Jonah Coleman's huge game, and the defense doing just enough to keep them in it. But JL Skinner is not a player many people were talking about on Monday.
Skinner, a backup safety in his fourth year with the team, has primarily been a special teams player throughout his career, logging a total of 31 tackles in his tenure with the Broncos. However, no one had a bigger tackle for the Broncos than Skinner did on Sunday.
Still thinking about this tackle from JL Skinner pic.twitter.com/LmFE2qXzOi
— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) November 2, 2026
Much of the talk following the game focused on the two final plays. As the Chiefs pushed for the game-winning score, Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to Rashee Rice, but a false start penalty against offensive tackle Jaylon Moore nullified the score. On the next play, Mahomes was sacked by Malcolm Roach to end the game.
But before each of those plays, with a timeout still in their back pocket, the Chiefs had the luxury of running the ball with nine seconds remaining on the clock. They were also at the 1-yard line of the Broncos. They called the number of Kenneth Walker III, the player the Broncos could not contain in Week 1. It looked like Walker was going to stroll into the end zone until Skinner filled the hole and made a huge, game-saving tackle.
Check it out from this angle:
One of the plays of the day yesterday was from Broncos backup safety J.L. Skinner.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) November 2, 2026
This is the third-and-goal Kenneth Walker carry from the one-yard line. Skinner (34) has to make the tackle here and absolutely blasts Walker without letting him fall forward. Game-saving hit. pic.twitter.com/aeJDbJYJfP
Sometimes, it's the little things that go unnoticed that quietly lead to a victory. That was certainly the case for Skinner here. Following the game, linebacker Alex Singleton had this to say: “Obviously a huge play by JL. Just to have someone who comes in… He’s known for that, being a hard hitter, coming downhill and making the play. To see him do that in a situation like that where you want guys to be fearless, and he was that. That’s huge for us.”
Watch this hit by JL Skinner. That’s one of the best RBs in football against a safety who’s barely played defense this year.
— Sam Jane (@sam_jane230) November 2, 2026
Completely stands up Kenneth Walker in the hole pic.twitter.com/KBWxAKNwZR
“They’ve been significant for us,” coach Sean Payton said of the team's backup safeties during his Monday conference call. “A lot of these young guys we’ve drafted that are getting more and more playing time. It’s a little bit of our league, and you just hope you’re in a position with depth at those spots.”
THIS IS WHY WE PLAY FOOTBALL! 3RD AND 1! GAME ON THE LINE! WHO STEPS UP?
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) November 2, 2026
JL SKINNER TAKES DOWN THE BEST RB IN THE NFL WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE!#NFL #DenverBroncos #JLSkinner #KennethWalker #Swipa pic.twitter.com/Mg69v7srlC
With the Broncos missing both starting safeties, Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, Skinner stepped up to make one of the biggest plays of the season.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X!
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos’ backup safety stepped up as a hero to help beat Chiefs
