Arrowhead Pride
Your Kansas City Chiefs officially have their backs against the proverbial wall.
They came into Sunday’s critical road matchup against the Denver Broncos with a chance to start turning the tide on the season. It was a defensive battle that was filled with penalties and missed opportunities. In the end, the Broncos were able to close it out — after Kansas City couldn’t — to claim a 22-19 victory.
That’s been the story of the AFC West this season: Denver is winning the close games, while Kansas City is losing them. There’s plenty of blame and frustration to go around. The key factor now is how the team will respond — starting with Sunday’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are a few Chiefs who stood out against Denver.
Tight end Travis Kelce: There were some big moments for the player who is now the team’s all-time touchdowns leader. It wasn’t his most efficient performance (nine catches on 13 targets), as a couple of opportunities went through his hands. But Kelce had a game-high 91 yards receiving and scored a touchdown on a great move.
The Chiefs’ run defense: For all of our worries about having the right talent on defense, Kansas City has been very good against the run this season. On Sunday, the defense held a good rushing offense to 59 yards on 21 carries. The linebackers and secondary are generally very good tacklers — as evidenced by the fact that Denver’s longest run was an eight-yard scamper by quarterback Bo Nix.
Cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace and defensive back Chamarri Conner: The cornerback rotation was puzzling, as cornerback Kristian Fulton took snaps from rookie corner Nohl Williams. But both Roland-Wallace and Conner were active and physical against the Broncos, contributing 15 combined tackles. Conner got to Nix on a blitz to start the game, and Roland-Wallace later helped end a drive with a pass defended.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones: It’s been a quiet season for the All-Pro, but Jones made his presence felt in Week 11. His sack of Nix on the 5-yard line likely took four Denver points off the board. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton: To be clear, I’m not on the “Thornton needs to be the No. 1 receiver” train. But he is the guy who gets open deep and tends to come down with the ball more often than most. He has a role, and Sunday’s 61-yard catch was a great example. On third-and-7, the sputtering offense needed someone to make a play. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes launched one and Thornton made sure to come down with it, setting up the team’s first touchdown of the afternoon.
Left tackle Josh Simmons: Welcome back, young man. Simmons was excellent in his return against a dangerous pass rush. I also noticed his run blocking on more than one occasion. Sure, there were some penalties, but his present and future are bright — and we hope his family is...
