The Denver Broncos fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in disappointing fashion on Sunday Night Football.
The Broncos drop to 6-6 on the season and their playoff chances took a big hit in the process. They didn’t even play a bad game, but there were too many mistakes to overcome.
Teddy Bridgewater threw two costly interceptions, one of which was returned 75 yards for a touchdown by Kansas City safety Daniel Sorensen. That play basically iced the victory.
But the key sequence in the game came right before halftime. The Broncos had gone on a 20-play drive that consumed a huge chunk of the second quarter. But facing a 4th-and-2 from the Chiefs’ 8-yard line. They handed the ball to Javonte Williams and he was stuffed by the Kansas City defense.
The result was a 20-play drive that netted zero points. That’s hard to do.
The Broncos held the Kansas City offense in check. Patrick Mahomes had less than 200 yards passing and he threw an interception. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill combined for 49 yards on five receptions.
Denver had its chances. They kept the Chiefs from hitting the big plays and actually had nearly eight minutes more time of possession. But it’s hard to win with so many blunders.
Though it was a long drive before halftime and the Broncos had already converted two fourth downs on the drive, they should have kicked the field goal and cut the lead to 10-6. Or at the very least, come up with a better play call on fourth down than to try and run right at the defense on fourth and a long two yards.
There was also a huge play late in the third quarter when the Broncos had forced the Chiefs to punt the ball. As Diontae Spencer prepared to field it, his own teammate, Caden Sterns, was blocked right into him, causing the ball to pop free and leading to a Chiefs recovery.
It’s hard to win at Arrowhead Stadium with all those miscues.
Williams was the lone bright spot for Denver, rushing for 102 yards and catching six passes for 76 more and a touchdown.
Losing streak to Kansas City continues
The Broncos were still very much in the game in the second half, but Bridgewater’s interceptions were backbreakers. The Broncos have now lost 12 games in a row to Kansas City.
The Las Vegas Raiders lost earlier in the day and with a win, the Broncos would have been 7-5, as would have the Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. By virtue of having wins over both of those teams, the Broncos would have been in first place in the division.
We haven’t had a chance to say that for awhile and sadly, might not be able to say it anytime soon.