DENVER — Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field goal to beat the Chiefs on Sunday and couldn't help but think back to last year at Kansas City, when his kick was blocked as time expired in the same situation.
“I was kind of like, shoot, here we are," said Lutz, who nailed the game-winner this time, his fifth field goal of the day, pushing the Denver Broncos past the Chiefs 22-19 for their eighth straight victory. “I've been waiting for a game like that.”
Broncos coach Sean Payton said last November's 16-14 heartbreaker at Arrowhead Stadium galvanized his team, which went on a 5-2 run to reach the playoffs, and Lutz concurred: "If you look back at the last year-and-a-half since that game, this team has come together and found ways to win close games."
The Broncos (9-2) all but buried the Chiefs (5-5) in the AFC West, which Kansas City has won every year since 2016. Chiefs coach Andy Reid fell to 27-5 following a bye week, counting the playoffs and his time with Philadelphia.
“We've just got a resilient team that believes we're going to win, and at the end of the game when it's close, that belief goes a long way,” QB Bo Nix said after the Broncos improved to 7-2 in one-score games this season.
Nix set up the game-winning kick with a 32-yard strike to Troy Franklin that got Denver to the Kansas City 15 with under a minute remaining.
Patrick Mahomes gave Kansas City its only lead on a 21-yard touchdown toss to Travis Kelce — the veteran tight end's 84th career TD, one more than previous Chiefs franchise record-holder Priest Holmes. That put the Chiefs up 19-16, but Harrison Butker's extra point was blocked by Frank Crum.
The Broncos tied it at 19-all on Lutz's 54-yarder with 4:10 remaining.
Denver's defense forced Kansas City to go three-and-out when Ja'Quan McMillian sacked Mahomes on third-and-10 from the Chiefs 36. That was the second sack by McMillian, who also had six tackles, including two for loss, two quarterback hits, a pass breakup and an interception.
“Game ball,” Payton said.
The Broncos chewed up the final 2:59 by driving 58 yards in 10 plays. They won their 11th straight game at Empower Field, where they haven't lost since October 2024, and they beat KC here for the third consecutive time.
Kelce's TD followed a 46-yard pass-interference flag at the Denver 29 on cornerback Riley Moss on an underthrown pass from Mahomes to Hollywood Brown. That came on third-and-19. Moss said afterward he's going to wear boxing gloves at practice to break what's become his bad habit of grabbing defenders on deep throws.
The Broncos' eight-game winning streak is their longest since 2012, when Peyton Manning led Denver to 11 consecutive victories. As a result, the Chiefs' nine-year reign atop the AFC West is in jeopardy.
Jaleel McLaughlin, playing in place of injured starter J.K. Dobbins, who underwent season-ending foot surgery last week, bullied his way in from 4 yards out to break a 6-6 tie in the third quarter.
The Chiefs seized the momentum, however, when Mahomes found Tyquan Thornton for a 61-yard gain to the Denver 11. That set up Kareem Hunt's 2-yard run that tied it at 13. That was KC's first touchdown at Empower Field in 11 quarters.
Tables turned
A year after going 12-0 in one-score games, including the playoffs, the Chiefs are 0-5 in such situations this season.
“It sucks,” Mahomes said. “Don’t get me wrong. You got to feel that, but you got to be able to kind of use that energy to push it into the next week, into the rest of the season, and all you can focus on is the next game. You get another opportunity to go out there and prove yourself.
“We’ve been losing these close games recently, but we’ve played some good football in spurts,” Mahomes said. “It’s just about being more consistent, and until we go out there and do it, all you can do is just keep saying, keep practicing and getting better and better and push yourself to go out there and do it on game day.”
Dethroning KC?
The Chiefs have won the division every year since 2016 but have their work cut out just to make the playoffs now, and the Los Angeles Chargers fell two games behind Denver, which hasn't won the division since 2015, thanks to their 35-6 loss at Jacksonville on Sunday.
“I just think about us,” Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said. “We're 9-2 going into the bye, get a chance to rest our bodies, get some people back, get some health going and just keep this momentum going into the playoffs.”
Injuries
Chiefs: LG Kingsley Suamataia sustained a concussion.
Broncos: Rookie WR Pat Bryant was evaluated for a concussion after his 48-yard catch with 26 seconds left in the third quarter but returned. ... The Broncos were without CB Pat Surtain II (pectoral), ILB Alex Singleton (testicular cancer) and Dobbins (left foot).
Up next
Chiefs: Visit the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
Broncos: After a bye, visit the Washington Commanders on Nov. 30.
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