DENVER (KCTV) - A critical AFC West showdown Sunday afternoon in Denver didn’t go Kansas City’s way.
With control of the division on the line, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched into Mile High Stadium and put together a 321-yard, 3-touchdown performance for Kansas City.
Still, Denver overcame a 24-13 fourth quarter advantage for the Chiefs with a pair of touchdown drives for the Broncos and a game-sealing goal line stand in the game’s final seconds.
The loss for Kansas City gives Denver a half-game advantage in the AFC West standings with 10 games remaining on the Chiefs’ 2026 regular season schedule.
Kansas City got its scoring going with 6:04 remaining in the first half as wide receiver Rashee Rice caught a crosser for an 11-yard touchdown reception. It was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first touchdown pass in nearly a month and gave the Chiefs a 7-3 first-quarter lead.
By halftime, the Chiefs led, 17-13, with Harrison Butker knocking through a 45-yard field goal just before the break.
**Standout rookie**
The star of the first half for the Chiefs was rookie running back Emmett Johnson. The Nebraska product didn’t have a rushing carry in the game’s opening 30 minutes but had three receptions for 119 yards instead, including a 73-yard touchdown reception for his first career score.
Just before halftime, Johnson’s 38-yard reception set the Chiefs up for a 45-yard field goal by Harrison Butker, which gave Kansas City a 17-13 advantage at halftime.
**Coaches’ decision**
Kansas City’s opening possession of the game brought another curious coaching decision. The Chiefs opted again to bench left guard Kingsley Suamataia in favor of Mike Caliendo for what the Chiefs called a coaches decision.
It was the second time this season Kansas City has started Caliendo instead of Suamataia, with Reid telling reporters the benching in Week 4 against the Raiders was due to disciplinary reasons for something that would remain between Reid and the third-year offensive lineman.
Later in the game, Reid decided to punt on fourth and inches with the Chiefs leading 24-13 and just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. Four plays later, the Broncos had advanced to where Kansas City punted from and eight plays later they had scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion that cut the Chiefs lead to just 3.
**Kicking conundrum**
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was 3-for-3 on extra points and converted a 45-yard field goal in the second quarter. Still, Butker’s misses from 50+ yards continued with a 54-yard miss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
**Up next**
The Chiefs return to Kansas City for an AFC matchup against the New York Jets (2-6) next Sunday at noon.
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