The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos, 43-16, in a snowy matchup between divisional foes on Sunday afternoon as the Chiefs found the end zone on offense, defense and special teams.
Kansas City scored on its first offensive possession and never relinquished the lead, recording touchdowns in all three phases while tallying four takeaways.
Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 15-of-23 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown, leading Kansas City to a 10th straight victory over Denver and the Chiefs’ 29th divisional win since 2015 – the most for any team against their own division in the NFL during that span.
The Chiefs were on the board first as tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire broke free for an 11-yard touchdown run on Kansas City’s opening possession. It was a quick start for the Chiefs’ rookie running back, who racked up 161 yards on the ground against the Buffalo Bills the week prior.
Denver cashed in on a Kansas City fumble a bit later to narrow the deficit when Broncos’ quarterback Drew Lock scrambled for a 2-yard score midway through the first quarter, but a missed extra-point kept the Chiefs in front.
Kansas City then added a field goal a possession later before returning to the end zone early in the second quarter when safety Daniel Sorensen picked off Lock and returned the interception 50 yards for the touchdown.
It marked Sorensen’s third-career touchdown and his first since 2018.
The Broncos answered with another field goal, pulling within eight, but Kansas City added to their lead yet again mere seconds later when Byron Pringle returned the ensuing kickoff all the way back for a 102-yard touchdown.
The return was the fourth-longest in franchise history, and it had Kansas City back up by double-digits as the Chiefs became the first team to score a touchdown on offense, a kickoff return and by a pick-six since 2016. Remarkably, they accomplished the feat all in the first half.
Kansas City’s defense continued its tenacious play through the final thirty minutes of play, holding the Broncos to just seven second half points while tallying two more turnovers. In total, the Chiefs matched a season-high with four takeaways while surrendering just 16 points, marking an NFL-most sixth time this season that Kansas City yielded fewer than 21 points.
The offense, meanwhile, continued to steadily build the Chiefs’ lead behind two field goals by Harrison Butker before Mahomes found wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 10-yard score to extend his franchise-record to 17 straight games with a touchdown pass.
Fellow quarterback Chad Henne, who relieved Mahomes in the final minutes of the game, also found the end zone a bit later when he plunged ahead for a 1-yard touchdown.
It all helped Kansas City move to 6-1 on the season and maintain its recent dominance over the Broncos, extending what was already the Chiefs’ longest winning streak over Denver in 50 years.
The Chiefs return to Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday to take on the New York Jets.
