{"id":532230,"date":"2025-11-17T12:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T12:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/532230\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T12:46:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T12:46:18","slug":"7-thoughts-after-afc-west-win-over-kansas-city-chiefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/532230\/","title":{"rendered":"7 thoughts after AFC West win over Kansas City Chiefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The AFC West runs through Denver<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Broncos knocked off nine-time defending champion Kansas City<\/a> in walk-off, deja vu-defying fashion Sunday and grabbed full control of their future in the process.<\/p>\n

The Broncos are 9-2, winners of eight straight and pacing the division now by two full games. They pushed Kansas City to 5-5, the brink of relevance this fall, and made their candidacy as a real player in the NFL undeniable in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n

Now comes a bye week, which arrives on a high note but also comes, as it always does, with questions to answer.<\/p>\n

Here are seven thoughts after the win.<\/p>\n

1. When the Broncos offense got in gear in the second half, it came after Bo Nix \u201cbegged\u201d Sean Payton to get plays called faster. Now comes decision time for what the Denver offense is down the stretch.<\/p>\n

Bo Nix looked to the sideline, found head coach Sean Payton and spun his hand in a circle, signaling something along the lines of \u201churry up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he started clapping his hands and eventually yelled, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denver was facing third-and-16 to start the second quarter Sunday against Kansas City, and Nix appeared frustrated.<\/p>\n

He stepped into the back of Denver\u2019s huddle shaking his head, then relayed the play from Payton to his offense.<\/p>\n

Denver broke the huddle with 12 seconds on the play clock and snapped the ball with four left.<\/p>\n

This was a low-percentage situation, obviously, and the Broncos punted the ball away after a 9-yard dump-off to tight end Evan Engram.<\/p>\n

Two possessions later, the Broncos started a drive with 1:46 before halftime, and again Nix looked from the back of the huddle at Payton and rolled his finger as if to tell the coach again to hurry up.<\/p>\n

The Broncos tried to go quickly after he scrambled for 8 yards on first down, given the time remaining in the first half, but the drive stalled out.<\/p>\n

In the second half, though, Nix and Payton found a rhythm. They used tempo in spots, though not overwhelmingly, and the first downs and points started to pile up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, here comes the tempo question. Let\u2019s go,\u201d Payton huffed after the Broncos\u2019 22-19, AFC West-rattling victory.<\/p>\n

As much as Payton might want to frame this conversation as some kind of media creation, it is not. His quarterback likes playing fast. Nix and Payton have each said as much. Payton earlier in the season acknowledged it and quickly followed with, \u201cbut sometimes maybe I don\u2019t want to play fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson pointed to the start of the second quarter and said Nix was \u201cbegging\u201d Payton to get a play-call in faster.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThen the offensive line came off and said, \u2018We need to change the tempo.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Interesting note here from Tracy Wolfson, who said Bo Nix was \u201cbegging\u201d Sean Payton to get a third-down call in faster. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe offensive line came off and said \u2018We need to change the tempo.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Not the first time that\u2019s happened this year. pic.twitter.com\/nV8Iq1wNa5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) November 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Getting a play call into the quarterback in a timely manner is only one part of playing with tempo, and foregoing a huddle doesn\u2019t necessarily mean playing fast. But Denver\u2019s rhythm in the second half coincided with Nix getting to the line with plenty of time to survey the Kansas City defense and also with the occasional deployment of no-huddle or a kind of sugar huddle.<\/p>\n

As Denver mounted a clinical 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive, for example, Nix went without a huddle a handful of times.<\/p>\n

The first came after the Broncos got their first first down of the drive \u2014 a natural point for Payton to push the pace because the defense had just been on the field for a long drive itself, and Payton didn\u2019t want to play fast right into a three-and-out.<\/p>\n

Then the Broncos went no-huddle into a third-and-8 call that led to a Troy Franklin 35-yard go ball down the left sideline. Franklin absolutely roasted press coverage by Kristian Fulton.<\/p>\n

Further no-huddle snaps followed in a 13-yard completion to Courtland Sutton and a 1-yard rush by RJ Harvey, though Denver did at times substitute through that portion of the drive.<\/p>\n

All along, CBS commentator and former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo noted repeatedly how much sooner Nix was getting to the line and how much he thought Nix\u2019s play was impacted by getting a good, long look at Denver\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were three plays, basically, we tempo\u2019d,\u201d Payton said. \u201cSometimes you hurry to maybe beat a challenge. So, anyway, next question.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear exactly what Payton thought might have been challenged on any of the plays during Denver\u2019s 11-play touchdown drive.<\/p>\n

Denver scored on four of its final five drives, and Nix threw for 215 yards in the second half after logging 80 passing yards in the first half.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just executed plays better. I think that\u2019s all it comes down to,\u201d right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. \u201cWhen you execute one, you get a first down, all of a sudden \u2014 two starts flowing, and you stay on the field. It\u2019s really hard finding rhythm and tempo when you\u2019re going three-and-out, and we didn\u2019t do that a lot today. So it was helpful for our offense, and a huge step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which all leads to one of the key questions for the Broncos going into the bye week.<\/p>\n

J.K. Dobbins isn\u2019t coming back this season outside of a potential Super Bowl appearance. The Broncos are young in the backfield and still pretty young at quarterback, too.<\/p>\n

So, what will Payton decide is the best formula offensively? Is it the way they\u2019ve operated mostly through 11 games? Is it more tempo, more quarterback-involved run, more catered to the things that Nix likes?<\/p>\n

These don\u2019t necessarily have to be wholesale changes, but the Broncos have been judicious in picking spots to dial up designed runs for Nix. Payton called one quarterback power for Nix on Sunday, and he certainly remembers the transverse process fractures Nix suffered in his back when he took an awkward hit against Las Vegas last year.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Nix has been strikingly clear about the things he likes over the past few months. He likes playing fast. He likes when the Broncos establish the run early. He likes being an athlete. He likes when he\u2019s got a lot of time at the line of scrimmage for pre-snap processing.<\/p>\n

Anything other than an approach built around those qualities for the stretch run would constitute a head-scratcher.<\/p>\n

\"BoBo Nix (10) of the Denver Broncos pass downfield at Empower Field at Mile High on Nov. 16, 2025. The Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs during week 11 of the 2025-26 NFL season. (Photo by RJ Sangosti\/The Denver Post)
\n2. Two of Kansas City\u2019s longest gains were Riley Moss defensive pass interference penalties. That\u2019s a good thing, a bad thing and something Vance Joseph probably needs to consider through the bye week.<\/p>\n

Good on Broncos cornerback Riley Moss for taking accountability for a late-game, 46-yard pass interference penalty<\/a> that set up Kansas City\u2019s go-ahead touchdown.<\/p>\n

A 40-yarder he was called for earlier in the game was questionable at best, but on the second pass-interference flag, he didn\u2019t react well to an underthrown ball from Patrick Mahomes, didn\u2019t get his head turned around and grabbed Hollywood Brown while trying to slow himself down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will absolutely own up to that last one \u2014 underthrown ball \u2014 I can\u2019t be grabbing like that,\u2019\u2019 Moss said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough, it\u2019s already a tough position, and you know, I\u2019ve got to be able to, in those situations, not panic and play the ball. In practice, it\u2019s going to be a big emphasis.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Broncos players have joked \u2014 and sometimes privately expressed real frustration \u2014 about the manner in which Moss has been officiated so far this season. Fellow cornerback Pat Surtain II recently said on his podcast that, \u201cthey\u2019re racially profiling my dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Payton and several players were livid with Brad Rogers\u2019 officiating crew in Week 7 at the nearly game-deciding pass interference penalty on Moss<\/a> that set up the New York Giants\u2019 go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of that game.<\/p>\n

Still, the reality is Moss has been called for DPI nine times in 11 games. No other player in the NFL, according to FTN\u2019s Aaron Schatz, has been penalized more than five.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn practice we\u2019re going to put the boxing gloves on me, we\u2019re going to tape them up so there\u2019s no chance of \u2014 it\u2019s a repetitive thing and people can have their opinion on it, but me as a professional athlete I have to be able to realize, \u2018ok, this has happened to me multiple times, it\u2019s unfair sometimes and it sucks, (but) I can\u2019t be in that position as much as I have been,\u2019\u201d Moss said.<\/p>\n

Certainly, there\u2019s technique to clean up. Moss is uniquely wired to where he\u2019s able to bounce back from bad plays. For most of Sunday, he did a terrific job limiting Kansas City\u2019s top receiver Rashee Rice. Rice averaged 71.6 yards over his first three games back from a six-game suspension. On Sunday, he had six catches for 38 yards. That\u2019s not a coincidence.<\/p>\n

Nor is it a coincidence, however, that when the Chiefs were in long-yardage situations, Mahomes made sure he had somebody running deep against Moss.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a big target to have on your back, and Moss is wearing it. He oftentimes looks for flags after a play, gestures toward officials or throws his hands up as if to show extra effort of not making contact.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s got plenty of reason to gripe with some of the calls, but the Broncos are fortunate they didn\u2019t lose either the Giants game or this one because of his flags.<\/p>\n

Not only that, but they\u2019ve got to know that down the stretch teams are going to do what Kansas City did: Find No. 21, throw deep against him and hope for the best.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tough situation for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and company. Moss is far too good a player to consider benching, and they won\u2019t want to curb what makes him hard to complete passes against, but they\u2019re going to have to account for teams\u2019 willingness to roll the dice down the field in obvious \u201clet\u2019s hope to draw an interference flag\u201d situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough for me, because I like to get physical at the line, I like to get hands on,\u2019\u2019 Moss said. \u201cAnd then at the catch point, I like to get hands on because the receivers, most of the time, are pushing off. \u2026 After that underthrown one and I was grabbing, that situation I should have more depth and play top down and make that play.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

3. J.K. Dobbins is hoping to be able to return from a Lisfranc injury if the Broncos make the Super Bowl, but he faces a long and sometimes treacherous recovery from a tricky injury<\/p>\n

Broncos veteran running back J.K. Dobbins was placed on injured reserve Saturday<\/a>, has already had surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury, and a source told The Denver Post that the 26-year-old running back hoped to be back to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 should the Broncos make it that far.<\/p>\n

Not impossible, but not easy, according to Dr. Nicholas Strasser, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon and an assistant professor of orthopedics at Vanderbilt University.<\/p>\n

Recovery from surgery can vary depending on the nature of the injury, but the most significant Lisfranc injuries can take 6-9 months or more, Strasser said.<\/p>\n

Even for a more subtle injury that still requires surgery, less than three months is an aggressive timeline.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s a more subtle injury, it\u2019s potentially something you can rehab more quickly and get back on your feet quicker,\u201d Strasser told The Post, noting that he doesn\u2019t know the specifics of Dobbins\u2019 injury itself.. \u201cI would say \u2013 and I don\u2019t know their rehab protocols \u2014 you do need to give it time to heal. You need to give time off of it. \u2026 It\u2019s not totally unrealistic for February, thinking through the timeline. A lot of things would have to go his way and probably have to have a lot of luck as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was not surprising to Strasser, though, was the amount of time Dobbins and the Broncos took working through options.<\/p>\n

The Lisfranc joint is in the center of the foot, and it\u2019s where the five metatarsals come together and are joined by several other bones and many ligaments.<\/p>\n

Most Lisfranc injuries, including Dobbins\u2019, are ligament tears rather than bone fractures. Ligaments can tear partially or entirely, or they can become dislodged from a bone. Because of the number of ligaments in the area, the most serious injuries involve multiple tears and more mild versions might include one partial tear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always straightforward. It\u2019s not as simple as, say, a broken ankle where you can clearly see it on X-ray,\u201d Strasser said. \u201cThere can be degrees of injury and the more subtle injuries that \u2014 it\u2019s not just one ligament that holds that joint together, there\u2019s multiple. So you can have a partial tear of one part of the ligament, but the other part is OK and it holds the foot in good enough, normal anatomy and normal alignment, and once it heals, it\u2019s fine without surgical treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"J.K.J.K. Dobbins (27) of the Denver Broncos finds a hole against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Dobbins, of course, required surgery, but the group didn\u2019t decide on that for several days.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you go to make the diagnosis, it involves physical exam, so where does it hurt, and examination of instability,\u201d Strasser said. \u201cThere\u2019s obviously the MRI and CT scans that get done, but sometimes the best way to test is to get a really good set of weight-bearing X-rays to see what the joints do when you\u2019re loading them. So it\u2019s usually a combination of all those things together.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d think it would be as simple as looking at an MRI, but sometimes those structures are a little bit different to see and with an MRI you\u2019re not putting weight on it, so you\u2019re not seeing whether the ligaments are gapping open or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same things that make Lisfranc injuries difficult to diagnose fully are what make them difficult to recover from. There are a lot of moving pieces \u2014 literally \u2014 in the foot, and it\u2019s an area that is used every time you take a step or put any kind of force through your legs.<\/p>\n

They can also come with down-the-road complications, which make for yet another hurdle for Dobbins to clear. He already sustained a devastating, multi-part knee injury in 2020, a torn Achilles in 2023 and another knee injury in 2024.<\/p>\n

Lisfranc is a daunting add to the list.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can affect your career because they not only keep you out for a while, but there are some cases that can lead to arthritis and other more long-term challenges as well,\u201d Strasser said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a tricky one to treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Marvin Mims Jr. made a big impact after being out for two weeks. But how did he feel about the moment he got the concussion in the first place?<\/p>\n

Broncos wide receiver and ace return man Marvin Mims Jr. waited a long time to impact a game again.<\/p>\n

He missed two straight games in the NFL\u2019s concussion protocol before clearing through a full week of practice last week and then running his first punt return chance Sunday back 70 yards.<\/p>\n

Mims watched the past two games on television and said it was tough not to be involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou kind of see certain situations where you know you could make a play out of things, and it doesn\u2019t always fall like that, but just to be back out here (was great),\u201d he said. \u201cWatching on TV sucks. So to be back out here on the sidelines and in the game felt a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MarvinMarvin Mims Jr. (19) of the Denver Broncos adds a few yard after a catch at Empower Field at Mile High on Nov. 16, 2025. The Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs during week 11 of the 2025-26 NFL season. (Photo by RJ Sangosti\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Mims, of course, wasn\u2019t actually supposed to be in the game late in a 20-point victory<\/a> against Dallas last month when he sustained the concussion. He was only in the game because of what Payton described as a communication error when special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi tried to sub running back Tyler Badie in for Mims and he actually subbed in for rookie RJ Harvey.<\/p>\n

Mims looked to be tracking toward a return against Las Vegas but had a setback during the short practice week after being a limited practice participant on Tuesday and wasn\u2019t able to clear through.<\/p>\n

So does he harbor any ill will that he missed two games due to a mistake?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d Mims told The Post. \u201cAt the end of the day, it was just kind of a weird thing. They come over and say, \u2018OK, you\u2019re down.\u2019 At the end of the day, if it was a close game, I\u2019d have been out there, so I don\u2019t really feel any kind of way about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being out there, you want to play. So later hearing that I wasn\u2019t supposed to be out there, it kind of sucks, but at the end of the day it\u2019s just how things unfolded.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Frank Crum might be a reserve offensive lineman, but he\u2019s also learning how to be a threat on the Broncos\u2019 field goal block unit. On Sunday, he made a massive play.<\/p>\n

Second-year Broncos offensive lineman Frank Crum is a man of many hats.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a reserve tackle with considerable promise<\/a>. He\u2019s Denver\u2019s jumbo tight end now that Alex Palczewski is the full-time left guard. He\u2019s on Denver\u2019s field goal protection unit.<\/p>\n

And starting Week 8 against the Cowboys, Crum also started playing in the middle of the Broncos\u2019 field goal block.<\/p>\n

Sunday, he made one of the biggest plays of Denver\u2019s 22-19 win.<\/p>\n

He leapt up and blocked Harrison Butker\u2019s extra point attempt with 9:57 to go in regulation, holding Kansas City\u2019s lead to 19-16 instead of four points.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the undrafted tackle out of Wyoming also played on the block for two games last season, but almost never before that.<\/p>\n

So, the first blocked kick of his career came in his sixth NFL game trying to get one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it once in college \u2014 the last game I ever played,\u201d Crum told The Post earlier this month. \u201c(Former Wyoming coach Craig Bohl), it was kind of just a fun thing. Let\u2019s see if I can go get one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crum is 6-foot-8 and a terrific athlete, so the idea makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cShoot, I like getting out on the field,\u201d he said. \u201cWhatever they\u2019re asking me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EyiomaEyioma Uwazurike (96), Frank Crum (73) and Zach Allen (99) of the Denver Broncos stretch to attempt a block on a successful field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn (15) of the Houston Texans during the second quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Crum after the Houston game acknowledged he wasn\u2019t sure if he\u2019d ever get a block, saying, \u201cI feel like there\u2019s some luck involved in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could put the wrong hand up, and if I put the other hand up I\u2019d have got it,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s just, you keep trying and trying and trying until you get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, he\u2019s got one now, and a big one at that.<\/p>\n

It makes two straight weeks that Rizzi\u2019s units have blocked a kick. Last week, safety JL Skinner stormed through Las Vegas\u2019 punt formation and blocked an AJ Cole punt with his facemask.<\/p>\n

Crum might well be a budding threat on field goal block, but he readily admits he\u2019s still a novice. Against Dallas \u2014\u00a0his first game on duty \u2014 he got hit hard by offensive linemen every time he jumped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to what I know about special teams, it really only extends to my specific position on field goal block,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know a ton about the grand scheme strategy. You can know if a guy\u2019s a low-ball kicker and, obviously, the further they go back, the lower it\u2019s going to come out, so you\u2019re playing a numbers game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m tall, I can jump. That\u2019s really the strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Wil Lutz had one walk-off kick for the Broncos in his first two years on the job. Now he\u2019s got three in the past five weeks.<\/p>\n

Sean Payton had a simple thought when discussing Wil Lutz\u2019s 35-yard walk-off field goal against the Chiefs on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s here,\u201d Payton said.<\/p>\n

He and Lutz have been together for years now, dating back to the 2016 season in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Until Payton found Lutz, a roster cutdown casualty by Baltimore that summer, he\u2019d cycled through 10 kickers in as many seasons as a head coach.<\/p>\n

Lutz has been his kicker ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to be someone\u2019s guy in this league,\u201d Lutz said recently. \u201cSean and I have won a lot of games together. We\u2019ve hit some big kicks together. And it\u2019s just understanding each other. He knows how to kind of get me in the right place. I know how to work under him. It\u2019s just a trust thing. I\u2019m grateful for being in a 10th year with him. My one bad year wasn\u2019t with him \u2014 though I wouldn\u2019t say that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how to work together, and the success under him has been fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DenverDenver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz (3) after celebrates after making a 35-yard field goal to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo\/Jack Dempsey)<\/p>\n

Lutz had missed each of the past two weeks \u2014 a 59-yarder on a blustery night against Las Vegas that Payton said after the game he regretted trying in the first place, and a 51-yarder blocked against Houston.<\/p>\n

His other miss this year was a crucial one \u2014 a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter of a 29-28 loss Week 2 at Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason, though, that Payton trusts Lutz. It\u2019s not just the consistency shown on a day like Sunday, when he made all five attempts, including a tying 54-yarder with 4:10 remaining.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also that he knows how Lutz is going to respond to pressure, and he\u2019s learned how to get the best out of his kicker.<\/p>\n

Before a walk-off in Houston<\/a>, Payton looked out at Lutz on the field and yelled, \u201cRight through.\u201d His scowl just for a second broke into a grin.<\/p>\n

\u201cSean knows Wil pretty damn well,\u201d Rizzi said. \u201cHe knows what he can say, what he can\u2019t say, what to say in certain situations. When to say something, when not to say something. \u2026 He\u2019s probably said more than that at other times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lutz had hit big kicks for the Broncos over the past two seasons, but his only true walk-off came on Monday Night Football in Buffalo in November 2023, and he was more spooked than happy after the game because he\u2019d originally missed the kick. A mulligan only appeared when the Bills had 12 men on the field.<\/p>\n

This year hasn\u2019t been perfect, but Lutz has made big kicks when it counts. Three walk-offs in five weeks is quite a run.<\/p>\n

Lutz smiled recently when asked what it takes to be that kind of steady presence for Payton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a deep question,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to trust yourself, one. You\u2019ve got to understand his approach to the game. You\u2019ve got to understand he\u2019s an intense coach. He\u2019s able to pull the best out of every player. He was giving me a hard time in field goal period yesterday, and we kind of have fun with that. You\u2019ve got to know how to handle that.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got to know how to handle us, and he does a really good job kind of reading the room and understanding his players.\u201d<\/p>\n

7a. One of the keys to Sunday\u2019s game between the Broncos and Chiefs always figured to be the red zone.<\/p>\n

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes entered the game just 1 of 10 in the red zone in three games against Vance Joseph as Denver\u2019s defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s defense continued to do quality work in scoring territory for much of the game Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Broncos forced Kansas City into field goal attempts the first two times they found the red zone, and then Ja\u2019Quan McMillian picked Mahomes off at the end of a long drive to open the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Mahomes and company finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter when he hit fellow future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, who rumbled through a tackle attempt from Talanoa Hufanga and into the end zone.<\/p>\n

Still, two touchdowns in 14 red zone trips over the past four non-throwaway games between these teams is a heck of a way to even a rivalry that had tilted so far in the Chiefs\u2019 direction.<\/p>\n

7b. Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton had been in a quiet spell, but he\u2019s excelled on third down all season.<\/p>\n

Well, he got it going against the Chiefs and continued to do his best work on the money down, too.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Bo Nix missed Sutton on third-down targets early in the game but looked his way again on the Broncos\u2019 game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

First, Nix hit Sutton for 20 yards on third-and-15. Then he came back to him on a third-and-5, which Sutton converted by the slimmest of margins.<\/p>\n

That set up a Nix corner route to Troy Franklin that put Denver squarely in field goal range and gave Wil Lutz a look at a 35-yard walk-off field goal \u2014 that he buried.<\/p>\n

Sutton entered play leading the NFL in third-down yardage (264) and tied for third in receptions (17). The two critical conversions late give Sutton 16 first downs on 19 third-down grabs.<\/p>\n

7c. Hat tip to Broncos nickel Ja\u2019Quan McMillian<\/a>. On Sunday, he became the first Denver defensive back in franchise history to log two sacks and an interception in the same game.<\/p>\n

7d. A quick reset of the West and the AFC as Denver goes into the bye week.<\/p>\n

AFC West<\/p>\n

1. Denver: 9-2<\/p>\n

2. L.A. Chargers: 7-4<\/p>\n

3. Kansas City: 5-5<\/p>\n

4. Las Vegas: 2-8<\/p>\n

AFC<\/p>\n

1. Denver: 9-2<\/p>\n

2. New England: 9-2<\/p>\n

3. Indianapolis: 8-2<\/p>\n

4. Pittsburgh: 6-4<\/p>\n

What a run the Broncos have been on. Enjoy the break.<\/p>\n

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n

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