The Kansas City Chiefs had two weeks to prepare for a game that would save their season and against a team they have dominated for a decade. The Denver Broncos want to change the narrative and change the guard. They played a hard-fought defensive masterpiece that ended in yet another fourth quarter comeback in a season filled with them.
At 9-2, the Broncos are now in firm control of the AFC West in 2025.
Broncos vs. Chiefs final score
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
| Denver Broncos | 6 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 22 |
There was no slow start for the Broncos offense in this game. They would open up with a 14-play drive, but would settle for a field goal. The Chiefs would go a quick four and out getting one first down. On the punt return, Marvin Mims Jr. welcomed himself back to the NFL with a 70-yard return to the Chiefs 10 yard line.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs red zone defense was showing up in this game and would hold Denver to back-to-back field goals to start the game. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs caught a huge break with a questionable defensive pass interference call on a deep ball with Riley Moss in coverage. Denver’s defense would shut it down from there anyway, but Kansas City would get on the scoreboard as the first quarter wound down.
Broncos 6, Chiefs 3. Full first quarter recap.
The Broncos offense did nothing in the second quarter, though they didn’t have the ball much due to a 17-play, 10 minute drive by the Chiefs that ate up much of the quarter. The Broncos defense did keep getting the job done in the quarter, though.
The first half would end with the Chiefs having another chance to put points on the board, but the Broncos defense clamped down in the secondary to force multiple incompletions before ending the half with their second sack of the game.
Broncos 6, Chiefs 6. Full second quarter recap.
The third quarter was strange. Jahdae Barron had himself a pick six that would have blown the game wide open, but a rather ticky tack illegal contact penalty on Riley Moss wiped out the play. The momentum swing from that seemed to breathe new life into Mahomes and the Chiefs offense with Travis Kelce making three big catches to move them into the red zone.
Then Ja’Quan McMillian entered the conversation with a massive interception of his own on third down.
After penalties on Denver, they would start at their own 11 yard line and begin an 11-play, 89 yard touchdown drive that was capped by a touchdown run from Jaleel McLaughlin.
Mahomes and the Chiefs would answer with a 61-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton, with Kareem Hunt punching it in from one yard out three plays later. That would be the Chiefs first touchdown scored in Denver in the last 11+ quarters.
Broncos 13, Chiefs 13. Full third quarter recap.
Just before the final quarter began, Nix would go deep to Pat Bryant who would come down with the ball for a 48-yard gain. That would spark the drive to a field goal to give Denver a 3-point lead early in the quarter.
The Kansas City Refs get all the calls at the biggest moments. Whether it comes during a pick six or a third and 19. This time it was a third and 19 for a 46-yard DPI call on — you guessed it — Riley Moss. That would lead to a Travis Kelce touchdown and the first lead of the game for the Chiefs.
A blocked extra point kept the score close, however, with a 19-16 lead midway into the fourth.
The Broncos offense, in their biggest regular season game in a decade, came out with a three-and-out in response to the Chiefs momentum-changing score. Not the ideal response. Fortunately, the Broncos defense would force an immediate three-and-out to get Nix and the offense another chance to get a drive going.
Marvin Mims Jr. would get a 24-yard return to set the Broncos up near midfield with 6:30 left in the game. That would give the Broncos offense enough momentum to pick up a few first downs to tie the game back up in short order. The Broncos defense then forced a quick punt after Ja’Quan McMillian picked up his second sack of the game on third and long to get Denver’s offense back on the field with just under three minutes left in the game.
From their own 26-yard line, the Broncos would start off with a five yard pass to Pat Bryant. Things went south in a hurry from there after a phantom holding call was thrown by the officials and a yolo ball to Troy Franklin that predictably went incomplete. On third and 15, however, Nix remembered Courtland Sutton is a dude and hit him for a 20 yard gain and a first down at their own 41-yard line to bring the game to the two minute warning.
Two plays later on third and six, Nix with ice in his veins would find Sutton short of the sticks where he would dive forward for the first down. With a minute left in the game, that was a huge moment. Two plays later, Nix went deep to Troy Franklin for a 32-yard strike to the Chiefs 15-yard line with the game on the line.
Wil Lutz would kick the 35-yard walk off field goal to win it.
