Broncos Rally Past Chiefs 28-24: Goal-Line Sack Seals Comeback and AFC West Lead
DENVER — The Denver Broncos scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and stopped the Kansas City Chiefs on the game's final play to win 28-24 on Nov. 1 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. Denver (6-2) took sole possession of first place in the AFC West with its fourth straight win; Kansas City (5-2) lost its second in a row.
Denver stayed close in the first half behind two Wil Lutz field goals, including a 39-yarder to open the scoring. Patrick Mahomes answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice, then produced the game's longest play in the second quarter, a 73-yard touchdown strike to rookie running back Emmett Johnson that made it 14-6. Bo Nix replied with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle on fourth-and-goal, and Harrison Butker's 45-yard field goal sent Kansas City into halftime up 17-13. Mahomes was 13-of-19 for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the half.
Denver's offense stalled in the third quarter with three straight three-and-outs, and Mahomes extended the lead to 24-13 with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Noah Gray. Cornerback Pat Surtain II returned for Denver after missing three games with an ankle injury, though safety Brandon Jones left with a hamstring injury.
The fourth quarter belonged to Denver. With nine minutes left, Nix found tight end Nate Adkins on a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to cap an 80-yard, nine-play drive, then hit Waddle for the two-point conversion to make it 24-21. After Butker missed a field goal, Denver took over at its own 44: Nix connected with running back Jonah Coleman for 51 yards to the Kansas City 5, and Coleman ran it in from 5 yards out on the next play. Lutz's extra point put Denver ahead 28-24 with two minutes remaining.
Kansas City's final drive reached the Denver 1-yard line. With four seconds left and facing fourth-and-goal, the Chiefs were flagged for a false start that moved the ball back to the 6, and Mahomes was sacked for a loss of four as time expired. Nix finished 20-of-32 for 222 yards and two touchdowns; Mahomes went 30-of-41 for 321 yards and three scores, with neither quarterback intercepted. Denver converted both of its fourth-down tries for touchdowns, while Kansas City was penalized 11 times for 105 yards. The win avenged Denver's 31-10 loss at Kansas City in the season opener. Sources: the Sportradar official league data feed and the Broncos Wire and Chiefs Wire game logs.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：本场比赛场地 Empower Field at Mile High 外景（2025 年摄，资料图）。MhcL947 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, the game's venue (file photo, 2025). Photo by MhcL947, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
