The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Denver Broncos, 22-19, on Sunday afternoon to drop to 5-5 on the season.
Here are some quick notes from the loss.
1. Sunday’s game came down to missed opportunities.
The Chiefs overcame a variety of miscues on Sunday to take the lead in the fourth quarter when quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown. It was the culmination of a resilient performance by Kansas City, which faced multiple deficits through the first three quarters of the game.
Unfortunately, while the Chiefs then had opportunities to either extend or re-claim their lead as the game neared its conclusion, Kansas City couldn’t seize the moment. First, following Kelce’s touchdown, the Chiefs forced a Denver punt and had the ball – with a three-point lead – with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. It was a tremendous chance to either effectively end the game or at least add to its advantage, but a quick three-and-out instead provided the Broncos with another opportunity, and they didn’t waste it.
Still, despite that sequence, the Chiefs then had the ball in a tie game with just over four minutes to go. A clock-churning drive and a potential game-winning field goal felt inevitable, but Kansas City went three-and-out again, sending the ball back to Denver, and the Chiefs wouldn’t see it again.
These are opportunities the Chiefs have routinely maximized for years, but it just wasn’t the case on Sunday.
“[We] had an opportunity at the end of the game, and [we didn’t] come through. Getting the ball back with four minutes [left], and all we needed was a field goal – that’s a spot that we’ve been in a lot, and we’ve been able to do that,” Mahomes said. “[We have] to be better in that scenario. That’s what you want, you want that opportunity at the end of the game, and I didn’t come through.”
Remarkably, the Chiefs still had a shot to get the ball back on Denver’s final possession, forcing the Broncos into a 3rd-and-15 deep in their own territory. The Broncos converted, however, and the rest is history.
Kansas City is now 5-5 on the year following the loss, which includes three losses by three or fewer points. The Chiefs are clearly evenly-matched with all of the teams they’ve fallen to, it’s just been a matter of making a critical play or two at the end of these games, and that has to be the focus moving forward.
