KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike McGlinchey became round, noticed his rookie quarterback and set free a guttural call.
Bo Nix had simply discovered Courtland Sutton for a third-down conversion overdue within the fourth quarter, striking the Denver Broncos in place to slay the undefeated Kansas Town Chiefs. McGlinchey, the veteran proper take on, pumped his fist as he and proper secure Quinn Meinerz embraced Nix. Beneath two mins remained later the play games that gave the Broncos a primary ill on the Chiefs’ 17-yard crease. The house group was once out of timeouts. A few run performs and a kneeldown and the Broncos can be in place to finish a shedding streak at Arrowhead Stadium that has lasted 9 agonizing years. The Broncos had outplayed the two-time protecting Tremendous Bowl champions, educator Sean Payton mentioned in a while, and all they wanted was once one kick to manufacture that rely.
Thirty mins after, the Broncos had been left most effective to grapple with probably the most excruciating loss lots of them had ever skilled.
“This is something that’s going to be hard to forget about,” cornerback Pat Surtain II mentioned. “We were right there.”
IT’S BLOCKED! @CHIEFS WIN! STILL UNDEFEATED! pic.twitter.com/hMLhAgbRpf
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
The cupboard room scene informed the tale of destruction — the type just a loss suffered this manner may inflict. Proof of the harm welled within the visible of avid gamers in any respect positions and all enjoy ranges. The place phrases failed, the lengthy stares, puffy visible and bewildered expressions illustrated the ache.
“Games like this are supposed to hurt, man,” defensive take on Malcolm Roach mentioned of Denver’s 16-14 loss. “We see the faces on everybody in this locker room. It’s supposed to hurt because we’re so invested, man. Everybody works their tail off every day, and we see it. If you’re not invested in it, it wouldn’t feel this way. It wouldn’t feel this bad. We know where we want to go, where we’re trying to go, where we’re fighting to go. We’ve got to give this city something to be proud of.”
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The Broncos sacked Patrick Mahomes 4 instances and harassed him relentlessly. They pressured Kansas Town to kick garden targets on 3 of its 4 journeys into the purple zone. Nix led the Broncos on two of the season’s prettiest drives — each finishing in landing passes through the rookie quarterback — to stake Denver to an early 14-3 top. Upcoming, later scuttling thru a lot of the second one part, he led the Broncos on a last pressure that lasted just about six mins, chewing the entire extra clock earlier than retirement the garden. He settled in to look at what he anticipated can be a game-winning 35-yard garden target through Wil Lutz.
“We gave ourselves a chance,” Nix mentioned. “They just made one extra play.”
In a blink, hope died. Hope of the primary win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium since 2015. Hope of a victory that might have given the Broncos a 6-4 file and a plethora spice up within the chase for an elusive playoff spot. Hope that that they had performed plenty to in any case pin the group that at all times turns out to seek out an leaving hatch.
It was once all extinguished when linebacker Leo Chenal bulldozed Broncos offensive lineman Alex Forsyth and alternative Chiefs on a tight schedule in from the left facet. Chenal stopped the kick simply later it left Lutz’s proper bedrock. The Chiefs streamed onto the garden in party. Mahomes sprinted throughout the finish zone, arms distinguishable vast, as a delirious people roared. Payton mentioned the general play games was once brought about through “penetration from the left side,” however he didn’t delve any longer.
“It didn’t go in,” Lutz mentioned. “That was my vantage point. We’re all still trying to take it in right now.”
Nix took a deep breath and stared on the sky. Alternative Broncos stood of their spots, coming to grips with the tragic truth.
“It hurts,” McGlinchey mentioned. “That would have been a good one. And we would have won it the right way, from a full-team perspective. I think our defense played their butts off today to hold them to 16 points. We had a couple opportunities in the second half offensively that we could have done a better job with to get the lead going and make the game more in our control. To do what we did on that last drive and essentially do what you thought would end the game — and then, you know, you can’t fall asleep on one play. It can change the face of the game. It can change the face of a season.”
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Had the wall held and Lutz’s kick sailed thru — he has overlooked most effective two of 34 kicks beneath 40 yards since becoming a member of the Broncos in 2023, and each had been Chiefs blocks — the Broncos would have celebrated a resilient efficiency through their protection. The unit confused Kansas Town’s two-time MVP quarterback and spoke back when Mahomes created witchcraft. The Chiefs scored a landing on a fourth-and-goal play games on the 2-yard crease — a pressure that was once prolonged later a questionable unlawful touch name on protection Brandon Jones on 1/3 ill — however settled for garden targets on their alternative 3 journeys within the 20-yard crease, together with two within the 10. The Broncos restricted the Chiefs to only 57 yards on 19 carries. The Broncos have allowed most effective two Chiefs touchdowns of their while two video games at Arrowhead Stadium, however they’ve most effective two losses to turn for it.
“One of the keys was going to be third downs and red zone efficiency,” Payton mentioned. “Man, we did it a year ago really well here, if you recall. They moved the ball but held them to field goals, and we were able to do that today.”
Mahomes nonetheless had his highlights, like when he escaped a would-be sack from Nik Bonitto on third-and-13 and located former Broncos working again Samaje Perine for a 31-yard achieve. However the Broncos saved answering, their terminating goal-line be on one?s feet forcing a garden target that gave the Chiefs a 16-14 edge with 5 mins, 57 seconds extra.
Had the general kick long past ill because it must have, the successful party would have integrated hefty celebrate for Nix, who had extra yards in line with try (7.2 to six.3), extra landing passes (two to 1) and a greater passer ranking (115.3 to 92) than Mahomes. On back-to-back landing drives in the second one quarter, Nix finished 7 of 8 passes for 114 yards. Either one of his scoring throws in that reach — a 6-yard slant to Devaughn Vele and a 32-yard deep ball for Sutton — got here on 1/3 ill.
1⃣4⃣
: CBS pic.twitter.com/bU0I65Txmo
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 10, 2024
“I thought the ‘Q’ played real well,” Payton mentioned of Nix. “Poised. Gutsy.”
Had the kick made a complete stadium groan, a subplot to the successful tale would had been the ever-growing contribution from Denver’s younger offensive guns. Rookie working again Audric Estimé, in his maximum expansive motion of the season, on a tight schedule for 53 yards on 14 carries. He figured prominently on Denver’s first two landing drives within the first part and ran for six yards on third-and-1 to increase Denver’s ultimate pressure within the fourth quarter. Vele, in the meantime, stuck 4 passes for 39 yards and his first profession landing, with two of his grabs made thru touch on 1/3 ill. The Broncos punted on their first 3 possessions of the second one part. Their first line was once stalled through a protecting penalty, and the Broncos didn’t have solutions for a few of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s third-down drive seems to be. Nonetheless, in a season that may be outlined through construction, younger avid gamers, together with second-year vast receiver Marvin Mims Jr., confirmed extra expansion.
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All the ones silver linings would possibly emerge throughout the harm some time. McGlinchey mentioned the loss “will be more fuel to the fire.” Nix praised the battle of a group that bounced again from terminating while’s lopsided loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Outdoor linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who sacked Mahomes one while later signing a four-year promise extension, insisted there can be deny finger-pointing because the Broncos picked up the items. Surtain famous the Broncos nonetheless have seven video games, starting with Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The groups chasing the Broncos for wild-card positioning within the AFC — the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Unutilized York Jets — all misplaced Sunday. Their efficiency at the highway was once proof, the Broncos claimed, that they may be able to beat somebody ill the stretch. The franchise’s first playoff berth since 2015 doesn’t appear to be some remote pipe dream in accordance with how the Broncos appeared for the primary 59 mins, 59 seconds in opposition to the Chiefs.
However there was once deny easing the ache produced through a last moment long past improper. Now not but, anyway.
“The easy thing to do is give in and stop, say that it’s too hard,” Nix mentioned. “I feel like our locker room is going to respond better and consistently find ways to improve, find ways to keep going toe-to-toe with teams like this. One time, it’ll go our way.”
Payton has suffered brutal losses in his profession. Any individual who lasts just about twenty years as a head educator will enjoy his proportion of them. Payton misplaced a playoff competition at the ultimate play games on the Minnesota Vikings. He overlooked out on a go back and forth to a moment Tremendous Bowl later the “NOLA no-call” within the 2018 NFC Championship Recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. He informed avid gamers within the cupboard room that Sunday’s loss was once proper up there with the hardest he’s needed to abdomen.
“That one will take a while” to recover from, Payton mentioned. “That one will sting. … As a coach, you hurt for your players.”
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(Photograph of Garett Bolles later Sunday’s loss: David Eulitt / Getty Photographs)
