5 things we learned from the Chiefs’ ugly road loss to the Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs’ just aren’t getting it done this season.

The Week 11 road matchup with the Denver Broncos was as close as it gets to a must-win game in the regular season. But on Sunday afternoon, Denver did what Kansas City couldn’t: move the ball when it mattered. The Broncos were rewarded with a crucial 22-19 victory that put the Chiefs at 5-5 for the season.

Here are five things we learned from a disappointing defeat.

1. The Chiefs aren’t closing out their games

Sunday’s biggest indictment came from the Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton. With the game tied at halftime, he said he liked his team’s chances to win because Kansas City was a “first-half team.”

Let that soak in. This season, the team is 0-5 in one-score games.

While Sunday’s contest was filled with deflating moments, the worst of them came at the end.

• With the game tied, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw an interception in the red zone.
• The Chiefs led by three points and had the ball with eight minutes left in the game — and went three-and-out.
• The Chiefs had the ball with the game tied and four minutes left — and went three-and-out again.
• On a crucial third-and-6 on the final drive of the game, linebacker Nick Bolton was covering Denver’s top wide receiver Courtland Sutton — and gave up the first down.

Whether it is from personnel, coaching or scheme, the Chiefs are no longer a team you have any faith in pulling out a win.

2. The Chiefs need to shake things up

For the team to play so poorly after its bye week was simply embarrassing. We can argue about the specific changes that should be made, but the team looks (and feels) stale from the top down.

Head coach Andy Reid has earned every single one of his accolades. He deserves to be considered one of the greatest head coaches in the history of the game.

But let’s be honest: the Chiefs organization is filled with a bunch of yes men. There is something to be said about having people around who push you with honest feedback — and challenge you to be better. Much was made about the tension between Reid and former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. As football fans like to say, “steel sharpens steel” — and it might be that friction isn’t always a bad thing.

The Chiefs’ coaching staff is made up of old horses with a lot of experience — and there is value in that — but these days, there aren’t a lot of new ideas coming out of Arrowhead. Maybe there should be.

3. There must be some hard conversations at Arrowhead

At the top of this list is a serious talk that Reid needs to have with special teams coordinator (and assistant head coach) Dave Toub.

The special teams unit has been a penalty-ridden embarrassment in 2025. Toub’s unit exemplifies one of the team’s...