4 winners and 2 losers from Broncos' epic thriller against Chiefs in Week 8

The Denver Broncos pulled off yet another incredible come-from-behind victory, but beating the Chiefs the way they did in Week 8 -- especially with all that was at stake -- makes this one sweeter than the rest.

The Broncos are now 6-2 and in sole possession of 1st place in the AFC West. Who would have thought that could be possible after the 31-10 embarrassment they suffered at the hands of the Chiefs back in Week 1?

This game had absolutely everything: 4th-down conversions, 2-point conversions, a huge goal line stand, and plenty of Mile High Magic involved (as usual). Let's break down the biggest winners and most unfortunate losers from one of the best wins of the Sean Payton era.

Biggest winners and losers from Broncos' thrilling comeback win over Chiefs

Bo Nix, QB -- Winner

For the second straight week, quarterback Bo Nix is a big winner for the Denver Broncos.

It's impossible to overstate just how important that has been for this team. Nix took some nice steps forward against the Arizona Cardinals in Week7, and was once again looking much more aggressive against the Chiefs in Week 8.

It still wasn't a perfect performance, but Nix threw two touchdown passes in the win, both of which were on 4th down. He also converted a 2-point play through the air. There was a good mix in this game of downfield throwing and smart plays underneath for Nix, and maybe the most important thing is the weight that has been lifted off him since his slow start to the year.

You can quite literally see it on his face:

Jonathon Cooper, OLB -- Winner

The return of Jonathon Cooper has been much bigger for the Denver Broncos' defense than many might have expected.

To be fair, Cooper had a really quiet second half of last season in terms of QB hits, but he also was playing through a thumb injury he suffered against the Houston Texans.

His presence was notable and obvious against the Arizona Cardinals last week, but it was felt against the Kansas City Chiefs. Cooper was part of the two biggest defensive plays of the game.

On an absolutely critical 3rd-and-2 with time winding down in the 4th quarter, Cooper put pressure on Patrick Mahomes, flushing him out of the pocket and allowing Alex Singleton to get home for a sack. This particular sack pushed the Chiefs back into a 54-yard field goal attempt, which Harrison Butker missed.

And look who got to Patrick Mahomes first on the game-winning play for Denver's second goal-line stand in consecutive weeks...

Cooper's presence off the edge has been massive the past couple of games.

Jonah Coleman, RB -- Winner

The Broncos' backfield officially belongs to rookie Jonah Coleman. The 4th-round pick out of Washington has been one of the best stories of the year so far for this team, and he's done nothing but come up clutch for this team in every opportunity he's gotten.

Coleman led the Broncos in both rushing and receiving against the Chiefs, racking up 104 total yards from scrimmage as well as a go-ahead touchdown. His go-ahead touchdown was set up by this absolutely awesome catch and run:

The Broncos' offense just has a different "juice" when Coleman is out there on the field. It's a juice they clearly lack when he's not on the field.

Coleman's combination o burst, vision, contact balance, and three-down abilities have the Broncos really trusting the rookie.

Jaylen Waddle, WR -- Winner

Jaylen Waddle was doing an outstanding job all afternoon for the Broncos of getting open to all levels of the field. And for once, we all got to see the "Waddle" celebration in orange and blue.

It's just as beautiful as everyone in Broncos Country had hoped it would be.

It's been a slow start to his Denver Broncos career, but Jaylen Waddle is obviously still an extremely important part of this offense. He caught a touchdown on a 4th-down play near the end of the 2nd quarter, then caught a two-point conversion to pull the Broncos within 3 later on.

There were a couple of other occasions where Waddle was wide open, and he was simply missed. Bo Nix could have added to his "air yards" in this game with one particlar throw to Waddle, and another wide-open chance was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

There will continue to be more and more opportunities as the Broncos work to make Waddle the true featured option in the offense.

JK Dobbins tops Broncos' unfortunate "losers" list after win against Chiefs

JK Dobbins, RB -- Loser

To say that JK Dobbins has fallen out of favor with the Denver Broncos' coaching staff would be putting it mildly.

After even more struggles in the first half against the Chiefs for Dobbins, the Broncos effectively decided to bench him for the rookie Jonah Coleman...again.

The writing feels like it's on the wall for Dobbins, whose saga with the team has taken a real turn for the worse in recent weeks. The Broncos seemingly made a concerted effort to feature Dobbins while Jonah Coleman was still on IR, but he wasn't running well at all.

He was third in the pecking order for snaps among Broncos RBs against the Cardinals, refused to talk to reporters after the game, and had a very strange exchange with the media in the days leading up to the Chiefs' game.

The Broncos' decision to almost not even put Dobbins out there in the second half tells us everything we need to know: They trust Jonah Coleman more than JK Dobbins.

He looks like he's on his way out.

Riley Moss, CB -- Loser

It's a contract year for Riley Moss in 2026, but he hasn't exactly proven himself worthy of any new deal from the Broncos.

In fact, most likely the opposite. He had some missed tackles (again) against the Kansas City Chiefs, and also had an opportunity for a game-changing interception off Patrick Mahomes, but it slipped through his hands. The Chiefs scored a touchdown a couple of plays later.

It just hasn't been a good year -- at all -- for Riley Moss. The Broncos might be better off playing Jahdae Barron at this point. Barron has been much more physical in run support.

Bonus winner: Sean Payton, head coach

The Broncos' win against the Chiefs was the 200th career win (playoffs included) for head coach Sean Payton.

Payton was coaching in his 300th game, and he received a game ball after victory #200. And the difference he has made for this organization is rather astounding. The Broncos are lucky to have him.

Especially in a game like we saw against the Chiefs, you absolutely have to have a difference-maker in the head coach seat like the Broncos have in Sean Payton. He just knows how to rise to the occasion in big games, and when the Broncos' offense has needed it, he's pushed all the right buttons.

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