Those missed opportunities at the end of the game marked a tough finish to an otherwise resilient performance that saw the Chiefs fight back from multiple deficits to tie the game when tailback Kareem Hunt plunged forward for a 2-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
The play came on the heels of a 61-yard completion from Mahomes to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on third down, seemingly providing the Chiefs with all of the momentum. Hunt then finished the series with a game-tying score, and while Denver added a go-ahead field goal on its next possession, the Chiefs managed to take the lead when Mahomes found Kelce for the aforementioned 21-yard touchdown.
That turned out to be the Chiefs' final score of the night though, and while the defense nearly managed to get off the field on Denver's final possession, the Broncos – to their credit – made a few more plays.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to an even 5-5 on the season. It's not at all where Kansas City planned to be at this point in the year, but as Mahomes discussed following the game, the locker room isn't backing down from the challenge ahead.
"We've dealt with adversity \[before\], and \[we've\] gotten better from it," Mahomes said. "This is something that we haven't dealt with so early in the season, but at the same time, I know the guys in that locker room, and how they're going to respond. All we can do is stick together, push ourselves to be even better, and do what we can to win this next week."