The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos 16-14 on Sunday to improve to 9-0 on the NFL season.
Here are some initial takeaways from the game:
THE BLOCK THAT SAVED THE PERFECT SEASON.
I have had the privilege of covering the Chiefs (and the NFL) for a long time — and I find one of the greatest things about this job is you simply never know what you’re going to get.
In many facets, the Chiefs had one of their worst days of the season against the Broncos. In the end, it didn’t matter. The perfect season lived to see another day.
In any potential perfect season, there are going to be close calls, and it hasn’t come any closer this year than Denver kicker Will Lutz lining up for a 35-yard field goal with what would have been triple zeroes on the clock.
Somehow, some way, linebacker Leo Chenal pushed through the Broncos’ protection unit, and his block preserved Kansas City’s perfect record.
Division games are still the most difficult games to win.
In the NFL, it’s something you hear all the time. Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and the Broncos is just the latest example: in division matchups, throw the records out.
Denver is just the latest team to give its best shot against Kansas City, with a sound plan that kept the game in balance until its final seconds.
Led by head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos did not shy away from running the football, even despite the Chiefs’ knack for defending the run all season. Denver’s success on early downs eased the pressure on rookie Bo Nix, who put his team in a position to win.
The Broncos’ quarterback was cool, calm and collected throughout the day, hitting his open targets and managing the operation to the point where (and we can say it) it probably should have been a shocking win for the Broncos. A storyline all week — the fact that the Broncos may finally have a quarterback capable of competing with the Chiefs — proved true on Sunday, in my opinion.
The game got ugly. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the offense struggled to put up points against the league’s third-ranked defense. Meanwhile, the Broncos kept plugging away, finding ways to play a possession game and push the Chiefs into dire straits.
In the NFL, nobody knows you better than your division. That’s something we ought to remember for Kansas City’s three remaining AFC West matchups.
Make no mistake: Kansas City has a ton to clean up.
Watching the Chiefs as a fan of any other team in the National Football League has to be a bit maddening. More often than not, they just seem to find a way.
Left tackle Wanya Morris had to come out of the game in the second quarter. Kingsley Suamataia struggled mightily in his place — to a point where it was difficult for the offense to function. Mahomes missed several throws we usually see him make. That’s somewhat disheartening — because over the last two weeks, it appeared that he had been playing better football.
Kansas City’s defense held Denver to 260 net yards, but the Broncos’ two scores came on plays that the Chiefs will wish they could get back. For the second straight week, the defensive unit was tasked with a final stand to clinch the game — and it couldn’t.
Once again, that meant the Chiefs would need a miracle.
Legendary broadcaster Al Michaels said it best, didn’t he?
