Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos lost an absolute heartbreaker against the Kansas City Chiefs 16-14.
Divisional rivalry games always hit a bit harder. This afternoon’s matchup was a furious battle from start to finish.
When the clock hit zero, the Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking loss 16-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs after Wil Lutz had his game-winning field goal attempt blocked.
This is going to be a tough loss to get over. This was an absolute soul crushing defeat. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some instant reactions from today’s game.
Going up against a tough Chiefs defense on the road wasn’t going to be an easy task for Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense. They sport one of the top units in the league and are very well coached.
In the first half, Nix and his teammates played extremely well. He was 14-of-20 for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. He looked poised and confident and led two great scoring drives. You couldn’t have asked for a better first half.
One of the things I’m most impressed with as Nix’s rookie campaign is how well he distributes the ball. Eight different players caught passes from him in the first half alone. His extensive collegiate experience is clearly paying dividends. He’s reading the field well and getting all of his teammates involved.
I also liked seeing Devaugh Vele, Marvin Mims Jr. and Audric Estime getting a lot of snaps and playing time. I thought they flashed some great ability, and it was nice to see young players step up and make plays even in a loss.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off the Broncos’ offense in the second half. What looked like a well-oiled machine in the first half turned out to be a rusted-out clunker. Chiefs' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo made great second half adjustments and started throwing the house at Nix. Their first three drives of the second half resulted in 14 plays for just 10 yards.
It wasn’t until the final possession of the game that their offense was able to do anything. They had no answers for Spagnuolo’s aggressive blitzes. Everything that looked promising at the start simply vanished. They did their job at the end and gave the team a shot to win, but it wasn’t enough.
Vance Joseph opted not to be blitz happy against Lamar Jackson last weekend and played a lot of zone coverage. It was a deviation from what we have seem most of the season and a gamble that didn’t work.
Against Mahomes this weekend, Joseph went back to what has worked for his defense all season long. From start until finish, he sent the house after Mahomes. The Broncos had 4 sacks and a ton of pressures. After last week’s dud against the Ravens, it was nice to see the defense get back to playing quality...
