Copy Link Icon Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos: Live Updates, Score and Highlights for Sunday Night Football Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos Denver Down 23-13 in the fourth quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) pulled out a 27-23 victory over the Denver Broncos (2-2) in dramatic fashion. The Chiefs second-year signal-caller earned the name Showtime Mahomes with critical third- and fourth-down conversions. He even completed a pass with his left hand. Running back Kareem Hunt capped the game-winning drive with a four-yard run. The Broncos moved the ball on the ground and through the air in the first half but sputtered when they fell behind on the final drive, which ended on a failed hook-and-ladder play call on fourth down.<doc-sep>The Denver Broncos (2-1) will host the Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) on Monday Night Football in a game few expect them to win or even come close to winning, which is surprising considering its an AFC West divisional game and Denver at home is never an easy out even in the worst of times. Right now, people only see Patrick Mahomes and that explosive offense. They are ignoring the porous and mistake-prone defense that gives up just as many explosive plays. If the Broncos defense can come out and generate pressure on Mahomes and keep the intensity high despite some of the big plays the Chiefs will get, then that should keep the game within striking distance for Case Keenum and the Broncos offense. Many of us are worried the Broncos are not a very good football team and this game will either confirm our fears or allay them.<doc-sep>Game updates The Kansas City Chiefs answered the call in Denver on Monday night, extending their unbeaten streak to four games in a challenging environment. It wasn’t like what we’ve seen from the Chiefs so far this season, though. No touchdown on the first drive, trailing first for the first time and fighting from behind for most of the game — Monday night’s matchup was far from the fast and early offensive success we’ve witnessed from the Chiefs in weeks 1-3. Down by 10 in the fourth quarter, it was going to take a big play from the Chiefs offense to claim the lead — and they did just that. The game-winning drive featured a left-handed throw by Mahomes, back-to-back deep throws by the young quarterback to Robinson for 23 yards then Harris for 35 and, finally, ending with a a 4-yard touchdown by Kareem Hunt to lift the Chiefs by five points. Injury updates Dee Ford and Sammy Watkins both left the field with their own respective injuries. Ford was questionable with groin injury and Watkins left the game with a hamstring injury Fourth quarter GAME OVER. Chiefs win in Denver. KC timeout with :16 Kendall Fuller nearly intercepts a pass to Sanders. Keenum throws incomplete to Thomas who had the chance to walk it in to the end zone Keenum finds a break and hits Emanuel Sanders picks up 12 yards then hits Heureman in stride for 36 yards Rookie Armani Watts comes up big with the sack at the Denver 15 Chiefs 27, Broncos 23 CHIEFS TOUCHDOWN! Kareem Hunt for four yards. Butker’s extra point is good. Chiefs claim the lead Kareem Hunt goes for 2 and the Chiefs take timeouts at 1:43 and 1:49 Mahoms looks for Kelce and he goes down out of bounds. Travis Kelce is down on the field — Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 2, 2018 Mahomes finds Robinson for 23 yards then Harris for 35 at the Bronco’s 11 Back-to-back Chiefs penalties. Intentional grounding call on Mahomes (3:07) and then a offensive holding call on Morse (2:59) Mahomes converts third and five with a left handed throw 3rd down and Mahomes under pressure throws King punts 35 yards to KC 40 and it’s Chiefs ball with 4:35 remaining in the game Allen Bailey comes up big with the sack on Keenum for 0 yards KC 20, DEN 23 TOUCHDOWN. Mahomes finds Kelce for 2 yards and the extra point by Butker is good! Chiefs close in on the Broncos. Hunt rushes up the middle to Denver 2 for 7 yards Mahomes hits Kelce at the Denver 9 for 9 yards Mahomes finds Kelce at Denver 23 for 19 yards Penalty called on Travis Kelce for offensive pass interference enforced at 32 Mahomes finds Kareem Hunt for 22 yards Illegal use of hands called on LDT enforced at KC 41 Mahomes finds Kelce for 7 yards then Kareem Hunt for 5 Chiefs 13, Broncos 23 McManus goes for a 46 yard field goal and it’s good. Denver extends the lead. Freeman and Lindsay both rush up the middle for a combined 6 yards Keenum finds Janovich deep for 32 yards Injury update: Linebacker Dee Ford is questionable to return with a groin injury. pic.twitter.com/hizy9vjkry — Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 2, 2018 Third quarter Mahomes looks deep to Harris who is nearly picked off Mahomes finds Kelce then Hill for just a combined 9 yards Broncos lead 20-13 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter DENVER TOUCHDOWN. Phillip Lindsay goes up the middle for a yard and the extra point is good. Penalty on KC’s Orlando Scandrick called for defensive pass interference. 13 yards, enforced at KC 18 Phillip Lindsay picks up 19 yards before getting pushed outside back by Eric Murray Keenum finds LaCosse for 17 yards and he’s pushed outside back at KC 37 Colquitt punts 44 yards to end zone Mahomes throws incomplete to Conley False start penalty on Eric Fisher enforced at Denver 39 Kareem Hunt pushed outside back at Denver 31 for 13 yards Eric Murray intercepts a pass intended for Heuerman at Denver 43 Kansas City 13, Denver 13 3rd-and-goal and the look to Demarcus Robinson is no good. Chiefs go for 21 yard field goal and it’s good. Tied game. Chiefs lose 2 yards after Kareem Hunt tries to rush up the middle Mahomes barely stays within line and finds Kelce for 29 yards False start penalty called on Eric Fisher. Enforced at Denver 27 Mahomes looks for Travis Kelce, but it’s dropped again by the tight end Mahomes adjusts and breaks free from Bronco’s defense, finds space and hits DAT at Denver 31 for 15 yards Mahomes finds Conley for 1 yard and KC takes a timeout at 14:09 Travis Kelce gets shut out on his fourth target from Mahomes on his first drive of the second half Second quarter Chiefs 10, Broncos 13 McManus goes for the field goal to end the half and it’s good, giving Denver the lead. Keenum looks for Sutton deep right, but Kendall Fuller forces him out of bound to prevent the connection in the red zone Orlando Scandrick is there to stop Thomas at the KC 21 for no gain and it’s timeout #3 with :40 Denver timeout at :48 Reviewed play called short and puts Denver at 4th-and-1 and Keenum finds Thomas to get first down (1:22) Denver timeout Keenum finds Sanders and Booker for a combined 27 yards Colquitt punts 41 yards Back-to-back incomplete passes by Mahomes to Kelce then Conley Demarcus Robinson picks up a face mask penalty enforced at KC 47 KC timeout at 4:12 Mahomes finds DAT and defensive offsides (5 yard penalty) is called on Chubb at KC 36 Hello darkness my old friend. https://t.co/APmHos5Qts — Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) October 2, 2018 Chiefs 10, Broncos 10 3rd down and 1 and Denver finds the end zone to cut the deficit. The extra point is good to tie. Case Keenum hits big with a 42 yard pass to Sutton at the Chiefs 23 Chiefs 10, Broncos 3 The field goal is good and Chiefs lead: cue celebration*<doc-sep>The Denver Broncos (2-1) have their work cut out for them on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs (3-0). The Broncos have been generally lackluster to start the season, while the Chiefs have been lighting the world on fire offensively. Those two realities have really depressed the collective optimism of the Mile High Report staff heading into this game as we predict a 34-26 Chiefs victory in Denver. Here is how we each broke it down individually. Broncos 34, Chiefs 21 All signs point to a Chiefs romp in Denver on Monday Night Football, which means I’m going to go against that grain and go with a “stunning” Broncos upset at home. AFC West crowns are won in December, not in September and that is an issue the Chiefs haven’t quite figured out. At least, that’s what I am hoping for in this one. - Tim Lynch Chiefs 42, Broncos 24 The Broncos have one chance and one chance only at winning this game: They need to come out swinging and play aggressive, up-tempo offense and have a clear mentality that they’ll score 35+ points. If they come in with that swagger and mentality, they can very well walk away victorious. This will take dedication and commitment from the coaching staff, from the tippy-top to the very bottom. A coaching staff that isn’t playing scared and trusts their players to make plays. A coaching staff who is fearless and won’t play not to lose. A coaching staff who prepares their players and puts them in the best possible position to be successful. I honestly believe if we can get that from the coaches, we will walk out of Mile High Stadium victorious. And because of that, I’m giving this game to the Chiefs. - Pete Baron Chiefs 31, Broncos 24 Denver is at home which is why I think this one is closer than people would think. It will come down to if the offense can finally put together a full game and not look good in spurts, and downright awful the rest of the time. I think the Chiefs end up coming away with this one, unfortunately. - Jeff Essary Broncos 33, Chiefs 30 (OT) For the life of me, I can’t pick the Broncos to lose. But the offense is going to have to keep up, and the defense is going to have rattle the you-know-what out of Mahomes to keep him from lighting up the scoreboard all night long. I pick a Broncos victory with an OT field goal, 33-30. Mile High goes crazy. - Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann Chiefs 38, Broncos 27 Broncos are likely going to lose. Their offense hasn’t shown enough to keep up with Mahomes who unfortunately doesn’t look like a bust. We have no answer for Kelce and Hill always burns the Broncos. It hopefully is closer than most think but unless Keenum and the Broncos offense get their heads out of their ass, they’re going 2-2. - Scotty Payne Chiefs 31, Broncos 24 As I told Adam Malnati on the latest MHR Radio Podcast, when it comes to rivalry games, always expect the unexpected. This is the 116th time these two rivals will play. Yet even if Denver runs the ball, controls tempo, Case Keenum doesn’t play like Trevor Siemian and the Orange Rush makes life miserable for Mahomes, it’s still not enough. The Broncos will also have to create turnovers, which is something this defense struggles to do (it has three in three games). I think the game is closer than most expect, but Denver still loses. - Ian St. Clair Chiefs 51, Broncos 35 Paint me a pessimist, but nothing in the first three weeks tells me that this Broncos team can hang with the Chiefs. There is a path to victory, and it starts with Case Keenum being efficient, and the offense being able to sustain drives. Kansas City’s defense is bad. There is a chance that Denver can keep Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense off the field and control the tempo of the game. If that happens, the Broncos could come away with a win. However, the defense has glaring issue for the Broncos as well. The No Fly Zone has turned into the Frequent Flyers Lounge. As Ian St. Clair and I discussed on the MHR Radio Podcast, this game could be a lot like that Broncos/Rams game back in 2000. Points all over the place, and last team with the ball wins. I don’t actually think it will be that close. Sometimes the other car is just faster, and right now the Chiefs offense is a Ferrari, and the Broncos are a Kia. 51-35 Chiefs. - Adam Malnati Broncos 31, Chiefs 27 The Chiefs have a smoking hot offense. It is predicated on a young big-armed QB who has yet to face a real pass rush. I’m going against the grain on this one and calling this a Bronco win due to a great pass rush plan from our defense. It will be close. We are playing a very impressive team. Sure it could be a blow-out. But I doubt it...not at Mile High. Not in our house. - Sadaraine So much pessimism up in here today. Had to lead with a win and end with a win prediction. Give us your score predictions in the comments section below.<doc-sep>
The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos tonight on Monday Night Football. Here are three keys to a Chiefs victory. The 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs take their high powered offense on the road in prime time tonight on Monday Night Football as they travel to Denver to take on their long time rival, the Denver Broncos. While many fans were optimistic about the Chiefs this season with first time starter Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, I’m not sure anyone was anticipating the offensive explosion that has made the Chiefs one of the biggest stories in the NFL this season. A win on Monday in front of a huge national audience will only build the hype around Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs moving forward. The start of the season was supposed to be the hardest part of Kansas City’s schedule. If they can start the year off 4-0 with two division road wins they will have set themselves up to not only control the division moving forward, but will be out in front of the entire AFC at the one quarter mark of the season. So what exactly do the Chiefs need to do tonight to make that happen? Well, it starts with their high powered offense. 1. The Chiefs need to continue to start hot and get out to an early lead. In each of the Chiefs three wins so far this season they have opened up early leads on their opponents. Against the Los Angeles Chargers the Chiefs jumped out to an early 14-3 lead behind two big touchdowns by Tyreek Hill. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers the offense started the game firing on all cylinders as they built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Then last week against the San Francisco 49ers they jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and even expanded it to 35-7 at one point in the first half. The Chiefs defense hasn’t been great. We all know that. However, they have done pretty well early in each game and that has allowed the Chiefs to build a big enough lead that they can survive late in the game when the defense is tired and/or the opposing offense has made adjustments. For all their defensive problems they have still only allowed six first quarter points all season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have scored 49 first quarter points. That’s a little over a two touchdown point differential per game in the first quarter. Getting out to an early lead puts pressure on the opposing offense to keep pace with the Chiefs and there just aren’t many teams (if any) in the NFL that can keep pace with them. This is absolutely true of the Broncos. While Denver is 2-1 on the season they are only averaging 20.3 points per game. That’s a whopping 19.3 points less than the Chiefs. The Broncos simply aren’t built to win shoot outs. They want to wear you down and win a more physical low scoring game and if the Chiefs can take them out of that right out of the gate and turn this game into a Patrick Mahomes versus Case Keenum shoot out I think most KC fans will feel good about the outcome. The other key to taking the Broncos out of their game plan is…..