KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike McGlinchey rotated, noticed his rookie quarterback and let loose a guttural yell.
Bo Nix had simply discovered Courtland Sutton for a third-down conversion late within the fourth quarter, placing the Denver Broncos in place to slay the undefeated Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. McGlinchey, the veteran proper deal with, pumped his fist as he and proper guard Quinn Meinerz embraced Nix. Below two minutes remained after the play that gave the Broncos a primary down on the Chiefs’ 17-yard line. The house workforce was out of timeouts. A few run performs and a kneeldown and the Broncos could be in place to finish a dropping streak at Arrowhead Stadium that has lasted 9 agonizing years. The Broncos had outplayed the two-time defending Tremendous Bowl champions, coach Sean Payton mentioned afterward, and all they wanted was one kick to make that rely.
Thirty minutes later, the Broncos had been left solely to grapple with probably the most excruciating loss a lot of them had ever skilled.
“That is one thing that’s going to be arduous to neglect about,” cornerback Pat Surtain II mentioned. “We had been proper there.”
IT’S BLOCKED! @CHIEFS WIN! STILL UNDEFEATED! pic.twitter.com/hMLhAgbRpf
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
The locker room scene instructed the story of devastation — the sort solely a loss suffered this fashion may inflict. Proof of the harm welled within the eyes of gamers in any respect positions and all expertise ranges. The place phrases failed, the lengthy stares, puffy eyes and bewildered expressions illustrated the ache.
“Video games like this are supposed to harm, man,” defensive deal with Malcolm Roach mentioned of Denver’s 16-14 loss. “We see the faces on everyone on this locker room. It’s supposed to harm as a result of we’re so invested, man. All people works their tail off day-after-day, and we see it. When you’re not invested in it, it wouldn’t really feel this fashion. It wouldn’t really feel this unhealthy. We all know the place we need to go, the place we’re making an attempt to go, the place we’re combating to go. We’ve bought to provide this metropolis one thing to be happy with.”
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The Broncos sacked Patrick Mahomes 4 instances and pressured him relentlessly. They compelled Kansas Metropolis to kick discipline targets on three of its 4 journeys into the pink zone. Nix led the Broncos on two of the season’s prettiest drives — each ending in landing passes by the rookie quarterback — to stake Denver to an early 14-3 lead. Then, after scuttling via a lot of the second half, he led the Broncos on a closing drive that lasted almost six minutes, chewing all the remaining clock earlier than leaving the sector. He settled in to observe what he anticipated could be a game-winning 35-yard discipline aim by Wil Lutz.
“We gave ourselves an opportunity,” Nix mentioned. “They simply made one further play.”
In a blink, hope died. Hope of the primary win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium since 2015. Hope of a victory that may have given the Broncos a 6-4 document and an enormous increase within the chase for an elusive playoff spot. Hope that they’d completed sufficient to lastly pin the workforce that at all times appears to search out an escape hatch.
It was all extinguished when linebacker Leo Chenal bulldozed Broncos offensive lineman Alex Forsyth and different Chiefs rushed in from the left aspect. Chenal blocked the kick simply after it left Lutz’s proper foot. The Chiefs streamed onto the sector in celebration. Mahomes sprinted via the top zone, palms open vast, as a delirious crowd roared. Payton mentioned the ultimate play was brought on by “penetration from the left aspect,” however he didn’t delve any additional.
“It didn’t go in,” Lutz mentioned. “That was my vantage level. We’re all nonetheless making an attempt to take it in proper now.”
Nix took a deep breath and stared on the sky. Different Broncos stood of their spots, coming to grips with the heartbreaking actuality.
“It hurts,” McGlinchey mentioned. “That will have been one. And we’d have gained it the precise means, from a full-team perspective. I believe our protection performed their butts off at the moment to carry them to 16 factors. We had a pair alternatives within the second half offensively that we may have completed a greater job with to get the lead going and make the sport extra in our management. To do what we did on that final drive and basically do what you thought would finish the sport — after which, you realize, you may’t go to sleep on one play. It will probably change the face of the sport. It will probably change the face of a season.”
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Had the wall held and Lutz’s kick sailed via — he has missed solely two of 34 kicks below 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 by their protection. The unit harassed Kansas Metropolis’s two-time MVP quarterback and responded when Mahomes created magic. The Chiefs scored a landing on a fourth-and-goal play on the 2-yard line — a drive that was prolonged after a questionable unlawful contact name on security Brandon Jones on third down — however settled for discipline targets on their different three journeys contained in the 20-yard line, together with two inside the ten. The Broncos restricted the Chiefs to simply 57 yards on 19 carries. The Broncos have allowed solely two Chiefs touchdowns of their previous two video games at Arrowhead Stadium, however they’ve solely two losses to indicate for it.
“One of many keys was going to be third downs and pink zone effectivity,” Payton mentioned. “Man, we did it a 12 months in the past rather well right here, when you recall. They moved the ball however held them to discipline targets, and we had been in a position to do this at the moment.”
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 acquire. However the Broncos saved answering, their final goal-line stand forcing a discipline aim that gave the Chiefs a 16-14 edge with 5 minutes, 57 seconds remaining.
Had the ultimate kick gone down because it ought to have, the profitable celebration would have included hefty reward for Nix, who had extra yards per 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 within the second quarter, Nix accomplished 7 of 8 passes for 114 yards. Each of his scoring throws in that stretch — a 6-yard slant to Devaughn Vele and a 32-yard deep ball for Sutton — got here on third down.
🔟➡️1️⃣4️⃣
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/bU0I65Txmo
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 10, 2024
“I believed the ‘Q’ performed actual effectively,” Payton mentioned of Nix. “Poised. Gutsy.”
Had the kick made a whole stadium groan, a subplot to the profitable story would have been the ever-growing contribution from Denver’s younger offensive weapons. Rookie working again Audric Estimé, in his most expansive motion of the season, rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries. He figured prominently on Denver’s first two landing drives within the first half and ran for six yards on third-and-1 to increase Denver’s closing drive within the fourth quarter. Vele, in the meantime, caught 4 passes for 39 yards and his first profession landing, with two of his grabs made via contact on third down. The Broncos punted on their first three possessions of the second half. Their first collection was stalled by a holding penalty, and the Broncos didn’t have solutions for a few of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s third-down strain seems. Nonetheless, in a season that may very well be outlined by improvement, younger gamers, together with second-year vast receiver Marvin Mims Jr., confirmed extra progress.
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All these silver linings would possibly emerge via the harm in some unspecified time in the future. McGlinchey mentioned the loss “shall be extra gasoline to the fireplace.” Nix praised the battle of a workforce that bounced again from final week’s lopsided loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Exterior linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who sacked Mahomes one week after signing a four-year contract extension, insisted there could be no 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 New York Jets — all misplaced Sunday. Their efficiency on the street was proof, the Broncos claimed, that they will beat anybody down the stretch. The franchise’s first playoff berth since 2015 doesn’t seem like some faraway pipe dream based mostly on how the Broncos appeared for the primary 59 minutes, 59 seconds in opposition to the Chiefs.
However there was no easing the ache produced by a closing second gone mistaken. Not but, anyway.
“The simple factor to do is give in and cease, say that it’s too arduous,” Nix mentioned. “I really feel like our locker room goes to reply higher and constantly discover methods to enhance, discover methods to maintain going toe-to-toe with groups like this. One time, it’ll go our means.”
Payton has suffered brutal losses in his profession. Anybody who lasts almost 20 years as a head coach will expertise his share of them. Payton misplaced a playoff recreation on the ultimate play on the Minnesota Vikings. He missed out on a visit to a second Tremendous Bowl after the “NOLA no-call” within the 2018 NFC Championship Recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. He instructed gamers within the locker room that Sunday’s loss was proper up there with the hardest he’s needed to abdomen.
“That one will take some time” to recover from, Payton mentioned. “That one will sting. … As a coach, you harm to your gamers.”
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(Picture of Garett Bolles after Sunday’s loss: David Eulitt / Getty Pictures)