Broncos at Chiefs score/results: Who won the NFL game on Sunday?
The Kansas City Chiefs have been annihilating opponents on the field. However, on "Sunday Night Football," the underdog Denver Broncos proved to be a tougher-than-expected adversary for the Chiefs.
The Broncos were not an easy mark -- a massive difference from Week 7, when they fell to Kansas City by 27 points. This week, the Chiefs escaped with a 22-16 victory. The Chiefs had their 25-game streak of scoring at least 23 points snapped.
Clinching a postseason berth for the sixth straight year, however, the Chiefs improved to 11-1 while the Broncos fell to 4-8.
First and fourth quarter interceptions gave the Chiefs an advantage in the game, and if not for the defense's capability to make big plays, this game quickly could have been a loss.
Denver played valiantly, and the two picks ended up being their only slips offensively. A lot of credit to the Denver Broncos defense; they held firm, causing the Chiefs to punt on two of their first three drives.
The Chiefs had a surprisingly inept showing in the red zone. Patrick Mahomes threw the ball to a wide-open Tyreek Hill on 3rd-and-10, only for Hill to drop the touchdown. Even though there is debate whether it should have counted as a touchdown.
Hill had another 48-yard touchdown reception wiped out by holding, forcing Kansas City to punt. Broncos took advantage and marched for the go-ahead score.
Chiefs relied on defense, special teams
The Chiefs didn't rely on big plays to win this game. They relied on Le'Veon Bell, Darrell Williams, and Andy Reid that allowed the team to stay in unison.
Bell averaged 4 yards per carry. Williams averaged about six, and Mahomes ended up 25 of 40 for 318 yards, keeping the game from being a total washout added to what is now the second-best turnover differential in the NFL this season.
Harrison Butker was precise on his five field-goal attempts. The Chiefs continued their dominance even though the Broncos had the lead 10-9 in the first two periods. The Chiefs bounced back after Mahomes' 20-yard pass to Travis Kelce, whose had eight reception for 136 yards.
An impressive and impactful player on the Chiefs' defense was safety Tyrann Mathieu. He came out charged and ready for the Broncos, making plays on the field.
It didn't make a difference if he played in the box or back deep; his demeanor and agility were something the Chiefs heavily needed. With his seven tackles, both of the team's interceptions, Mathieu showed up right when the team needed him.