Your Kansas City Chiefs are good enough to win a game like Sunday’s against the Denver Broncos fairly comfortably. But a series of ill-fated decisions and mistakes allowed the Broncos to play the role of closer. Somehow, with an MVP quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP running back, and an offense that ran for 220 yards against this same defense six weeks ago, Kansas City couldn’t get a yard with the game and the division lead on the line.
At the end of the day, they’re still 5-2, and in a strong position in the AFC. But they could’ve — and maybe should’ve — won this game.
Here are a few Chiefs who stood out in the team’s second-straight loss.
5 Winners
DENVER , CO - NOVEMBER 1: Emmett Johnson (10) of the Kansas City Chiefs hauls in a pass from Patrick Mahomes (15) before scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, November 1, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
DENVER , CO - NOVEMBER 1: Emmett Johnson (10) of the Kansas City Chiefs hauls in a pass from Patrick Mahomes (15) before scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, November 1, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Denver Post via Getty Images
Running back Emmett Johnson: When teams focus all of their energy on stopping Kenneth Walker, the Chiefs need a counterpunch to emerge. On Sunday afternoon, it came in the form of a breakout performance from Emmett Johnson. The rookie from Nebraska led the Chiefs in receiving (128), had the game’s biggest play (73 yards), scored a touchdown, made a special teams tackle, and returned a kick 44 yards to set up what should have been a game-winning score. Perhaps the Chiefs should have gone back to the kid at the end?
Defensive end George Karlaftis: The conversation all week will be about Kansas City’s lack of pass rush, but we shouldn’t overlook Furious George’s efforts. Continuing an underrated season, Karlaftis had three batted passes, a sack, a tackle for loss and force fumble.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: The best quarterback in the NFL had a great statistical game and delivered what should have been the game-winning score on a short pass to Rashee Rice. This loss isn’t on Mahomes.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice: Mahomes needs reliable receivers that can create yards after the catch. The return of Rashee Rice was a reminder that they have (more than) one in-house already. It was a solid game for Rashee, one that could have gone better, and something to build upon.
Tight end Travis Kelce: A middle-aged married man was still the team’s best option on the game’s final drive— Travis Kelce’s 32-yard catch and run was exactly what makes this QB/TE duo the best in history. Kelce caught 5 of 7 targets for 67 yards, continuing his strong start to 2026.
Losers
DENVER , CO - NOVEMBER 1: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs works during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, November 1, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
DENVER , CO - NOVEMBER 1: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs works during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, November 1, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Denver Post via Getty Images
Kicker Harrison Butker: The pressure was on, and the kick was wide— again.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: At this point, should they just give him a package of trick plays and punt returns?
The Chiefs offensive line room: What is going on with Andy Heck’s guys? The left side of the line should be loaded with talent; instead, they mysteriously miss multiple games. The All-Everything Center has a low snap every game. The right side of the line had costly penalties in the biggest moments. And the depth still leaves a lot to be desired. Can they field a championship offensive front for the next four months?
Defensive lineman Chris Jones: Eventually, the lack of production from the future Hall of Famer in the middle would outweigh the wins from the edge. Sack Nation needs a better version of their CEO to win in the second half of the season.
Head Coach Andy Reid: The buck stops with Big Red. Once again, Reid benched the starting left guard, putting the offensive game plan at risk before kickoff. Then, the Chiefs wasted a very good performance from Mahomes (321 yds and 3 TDs). They lost more penalty yards (11-105) than they gained running the ball (24-90). They couldn’t capitalize on a breakout game from their rookie running back and instead let Denver’s do the heroics. They again struggled with short-yardage situations and left points on the field.
They still led 24-13 in the fourth quarter, and seemed poised to grind the clock out with a solid victory. But then there was that punt on 4th and 1 from the 41 (questionable decision)… leading to a long Broncos drive that nearly ended in a goal-line stand. Instead, Bo Nix found wide-open receivers in the end zone (execution failures) on 4th and 2 and on the two-point conversion.
On the ensuing drive at the Denver 30, up by a field goal, Mahomes gets sacked (bad play call and execution), and Butker missed a long field goal (everyone outside the coaching staff saw this coming, right?). This comedy of errors led to another Broncos touchdown at the two-minute warning. But even then, the Chiefs would have first and goal from the four-yard line with plenty of time to get out of Colorado with a win. Ken Walker got them to the one, but even more mistakes ended their chances as time expired — a failed pass attempt (predictable play call), a touchdown nullified by a penalty (undisciplined play), and a sack (fittingly terrible end).
When one player struggles, we can call them out. But this game showed a lack of discipline, poor execution, and questionable coaching decisions leading to a fourth-quarter collapse. One could argue Andy Reid was outcoached two weeks in a row.
Note: Applying the labels “losers” is not meant to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these individuals. It’s just a simple way to grade their job performance in a single game. No disrespect is intended.
Comments