The Denver Broncos won their eighth consecutive game by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 22-19 on Sunday when Wil Lutz kicked a 35-yard field goal as time ran out.
Quarterback Bo Nix connected with wide receiver Troy Franklin for a 32-yard gain with 45 seconds remaining to set up Lutz’s decisive kick.
The streaking Broncos dropped Kansas City to 5-5, putting the Chiefs’ run of AFC West titles in jeopardy of ending. Kansas City has worn the division crown for nine consecutive seasons, but the Chiefs now trail Denver by 3.5 games with seven contests remaining on their regular-season schedule.
“If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best,” Nix said. “Some say, ‘If you’re scared, go to church.’ But if you’re going to play this sport, if you’re going to play this game for too long, you can’t really be intimidated. There’s really no sense in going out there if you don’t think you’re going to win and eventually get to the top.”
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For the fifth time in its past seven games, Denver won after trailing in the fourth quarter, and Sunday’s game marked the third time that Lutz had provided the winning margin on a last-snap field goal.
Trailing 13-6 on Sunday, Kansas City went 75 yards in six plays and 73 yards in six plays for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to take a 19-16 lead with 9:57 to play.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game. But offensive tackle Frank Crum blocked the extra-point kick to keep Kansas City only a field goal in front of Denver.
After an exchange of punts, the Broncos got one first down after a 24-yard return by Marvin Mims to the Denver 45-yard line. That was close enough for Lutz to tie the game with a 54-yard field goal with 4:10 remaining.
A three-and-out by the Kansas City offense gave possession back to the Broncos with 2:59 to play at the Denver 26-yard line.
Nix threw to wide receiver Courtland Sutton for a 20-yard gain on third-and-15 at the Denver 21 and a 5-yard gain on third-and-5 at the Denver 46.
Two snaps later, Nix and Franklin put the Broncos on the Kansas City 15, and after a Nix kneel-down, Lutz nailed the game-winner for his fifth field goal on the contest.
On Oct. 5, the Broncos trailed the Philadelphia Eagles 17-3 entering the fourth quarter but came away with a 21-17 road win. On Oct. 12, Denver trailed the New York Jets 11-10 entering the fourth quarter but took a 13-11 victory. On Oct. 19, the Broncos trailed the New York Giants 19-0 entering the fourth quarter but took a record-setting 33-32 victory with Lutz making a 39-yard field goal on the final snap. On Nov. 2, Denver trailed the Houston Texans 15-7 entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 11 points, including a last-snap field goal, for an 18-15 victory.
“We just got a resilient team that just believes we’re going to win,” Nix said, “and at the end of the game and it’s close, that belief goes a long way.”
Nix completed 24-of-37 passes for 295 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran three times for 8 yards.
“He won,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn QB. “That’s his job. He won, and against a pretty stingy defense that can give you problems. There were some big plays there.”
The Broncos’ only touchdown came on an 11-play, 89-yard series that ended with running back Jaleel McLaughlin’s first TD of the season on a 4-yard run as Denver took a 13-6 lead with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Nix completed 5-of-6 passes for 74 yards on the touchdown series, including a 35-yard throw to Franklin on a third-and-8 snap at the Denver 25-yard line.
Nix had five completions that gained at least 20 yards, and three came on third down.
“At times, I felt like today we just had timely third-down execution and we had timely plays that were explosive,” Nix said, “and against a team like that, finding explosive plays is one of the best ways to get some confidence, get some juice and have this belief that you can do it.”
Tied for the best record in the NFL at 9-2, Denver does not play against until Nov. 30. The Broncos will come out of their bye week with a prime-time appearance against the Washington Commanders at 7:20 CST at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, in the Week 13 Sunday night game.
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