Arrowhead Pride
On Sunday, Kansas City’s win over Denver revealed one of the most unlikely ways to win an NFL game.
Sunday’s Week 10 AFC West matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos was a defensive battle in which both teams limited explosive plays and harassed the opposing quarterback. But in the final seconds, Kansas City’s special teams unit stepped up to seal the deal as linebacker Leo Chenal blocked what would have been a game-winning field goal, sealing an unforgettable 16-14 walk-off victory that extended the Chiefs’ record to 9-0.
Here are five things we learned.
Not every game in a long NFL season can be pretty. The thing that separates champions from the rest of the league’s teams isn’t what they do in their pretty victories. It’s what they do when their backs are against the wall. In these moments when everything hangs in the balance, champions find a way to win.
That’s what the Chiefs did on Sunday afternoon. They made the play they had to make — in the moment it had to be played.
Kansas City fans might be feeling like it is inevitable that the Chiefs will find a way to win these games, whether it’s from winning in overtime, getting a game-sealing defensive stop — or in this case, blocking a 35-yard field goal by Broncos’ placekicker Wil Lutz, who walked onto GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in the midst of his best season, in which he had made 94.7% of his field goals. That was the league’s fourth-best mark.
But Lutz not forget: nothing in the NFL is inevitable
Teams must fight and claw for every inch and opportunity. When faced with the possibility of coming up short, teams must choose whether they will live with a loss — or as former Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy might put it, fight through the pain of the moment to drag their asses across the finish line.
It’s what separated the 1993 Chicago Bulls from the Phoenix Suns. And what separates the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs from the rest of the league.
The Chiefs have a legitimate need at left tackle. That was before second-year player Wanya Morris suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s game. Rookie Kingsley Suamataia took 46 offensive snaps before Morris returned in the fourth quarter to gut out the rest of the game.
But if Morris’ knee prevents him from playing against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, Suamataia should not start in his place.
The rookie’s Sunday performance wasn’t just ugly. He had no business being on the field. At this point in his career, Suamataia just isn’t an NFL-caliber offensive tackle. He is still young and full of potential, so I’m not saying Kansas City should give up on him. But the team has to consider whether it will hurt his development if he continues to be fed...
