Chiefs vs. Broncos score: Travis Kelce goes off as Kansas City edges Denver on 'Sunday Night Football'

The Chiefs are now 11-1 on the year after sweeping their division rivals

The Denver Broncos were no pushovers on Sunday night -- a far cry from Week 7, when they fell to their rival Kansas City Chiefs by 27 points. But it takes a darn near flawless performance to upset Patrick Mahomes and Co. The Chiefs, for their part, were not perfect in this rematch, allowing the Broncos to go off on the ground and several times stumbling over themselves in scoring range. Still, they often looked as explosive as anyone when it mattered, with Travis Kelce flat-out dominating Denver's defense in a 22-16 win.

The Chiefs' close victory ensures a playoff berth and sweep of the Broncos in 2020, improving the AFC West leaders to 11-1 on the year, while dropping Drew Lock and Denver to 4-8 and a clear third-place spot.

Here are some instant takeaways from Sunday night's AFC West clash:

It was a wild Sunday in Week 13 and there's a lot to go over. Will Brinson and the Pick Six Podcast Superfriends break down every game; listen below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness.

Why the Chiefs won

You could fill this section in with any combo of "Patrick Mahomes," "Tyreek Hill," "Travis Kelce," etc. and probably be spot on 98 percent of the time. And this was not even a great outing for the Chiefs offense, from a statistical perspective! Yet on a night Kansas City finished just 3 of 10 on third downs, was outpossessed by a young Broncos squad and never once "put the game away," Mahomes and Kelce were unstoppable when they needed to be. If not for a missed touchdown catch that wasn't challenged, Hill would've had gaudy numbers and a huge touchdown, too. Yes, the defense forced two turnovers, including the game-sealer at the end, but as is often the case, these guys won because they can afford to play loosey-goosey for half the contest; their coach, QB and offense are too darn good. 

Why the Broncos lost

They never quite put the dagger in offensively. Denver's "D" wasn't necessarily stingy Sunday night as much as it walked into some rare Mahomes misfires/miscommunications and/or Andy Reid's complete abandonment of the run game, but that unit fared well enough from start to finish. The bigger issue was that when the Broncos actually held the ball (and they held it longer than the Chiefs), they couldn't turn big drives into big points. Settling for three early, trying for three near the half -- those kinds of decisions are fine when you're playing the Raiders in a 16-13 ballgame, but not against the Chiefs. Drew Lock, meanwhile, was good but not great; his supporting cast, save for an energized Melvin Gordon, didn't always help him out, either.

Turning point

Just over six minutes remaining. Broncos down three. The ball is at their own 49. Drew Lock had just fired to K.J. Hamler on third-and-3, and the rookie just barely missed out on hauling in a new set of downs. But on fourth-and-3, Fangio opted to punt the ball back to the Chiefs. Now, had Denver gone for it and failed, K.C. would've been guaranteed points. But gifting Mahomes and the Chiefs another possession, already down late in the fourth? Not a great recipe for success. Turns out, the Chiefs only needed five plays to get into Denver territory after that, and their field goal with 1:09 left all but sealed the win.

Play of the game

Maybe this shouldn't count, but it was an incredible catch anyway. Tyreek Hill's first would-be TD, which was ruled incomplete and didn't warrant a challenge from the Chiefs, showcased some great concentration from the star wideout:

What's next

The Chiefs (11-1) will hit the road in Week 14 for a matchup with the Miami Dolphins (8-4), who edged the Bengals on Sunday. The Broncos (4-8), meanwhile, will travel to Carolina for a showdown with the Panthers (4-8), who are coming off their bye.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:23 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

The Chiefs move to 11-1 and still seem like the clear Super Bowl favorites. They're still not the 1-seed because the Steelers are 11-0, but if Pittsburgh loses at all, KC has the tiebreaker on strength of victory. The Broncos drop to 4-8 and seem like they'll be picking in or around the top-10 come April.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:22 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Tyrann Mathieu comes up with his second pick of the night, and that'll do it. Two coaching decisions from the Broncos stand out as potentially having cost them a chance to win this game: the field goal at the end of the first half, and the punt with around six minutes left.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:21 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

All coming down to this fourth-and-5 right here. Broncos played a great game, but that doesn't get you the win.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:18 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

https://twitter.com/SharpFootb...

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:17 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

That was a very bad delay of game call. And now it's a 48-yard field goal.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:17 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Chiefs have an opportunity to kick a 43-yard field goal to go up by six here or they could go for it on fourth-and-3 to try to end the game. This is a situation where almost every coach kicks, but a lot of people will tell you the optimal choice is to go for it. A team down by six will always play for a touchdown while a team down by three is usually more conservative.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:09 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

By the way, the Chiefs are already at the spot on the field where the Broncos punted from. Some good that decision did them.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:07 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

This guy makes like five throws a week that would be the best throw of most QBs' careers.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:05 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

https://twitter.com/WillBrinso...

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:05 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Obviously if you go for it there and don't get it, you're basically guaranteeing the Chiefs points. But I'm not sure punting it from about midfield in this situation is much better. Almost would've preferred just giving Drew Lock another shot at moving the chains. Because now Denver needs -- *needs* -- a big stop once again.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:04 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Man, Drew Lock did a nice job there stepping up in a tight pocket and at least giving Hamler the shot. Gotta make those.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:03 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

That's a tough catch for KJ Hamler to make, but as every coach at every level will tell you, if you can touch it, you can clutch it. Have to make that play.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 11:00 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Just a fantastic game running the ball from Melvin Gordon. Even without the 65-yard run he is at around 4.7 yards per carry.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:57 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Tyreek should have like 200 yards and three touchdowns again, by the way. Mahomes missed him wide open on the first drive, he had the weird touchdown he didn't know was a touchdown in the second quarter, and now this one that gets called back by penalty.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:55 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

And Tyreek Hill did one of his goal-line back flips for nothing!

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:55 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

...and he finally connects with Tyreek Hill on a deep ball on the next play, but it's coming back. That's a huge penalty on Nick Allegretti.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:54 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Refs overturn the completion, ruling that Sammy Watkins did not make the catch. So it's second-and-10 for the Chiefs, and Patrick Mahomes is nearly picked off over the middle. Mahomes has had a few balls go through Broncos DBs' hands tonight.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:54 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Oooooh boy, Kareem Jackson almost got that one. That would have been an enormous play.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:50 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

I do not think Sammy Watkins caught that pass. Good challenge from Vic Fangio.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:47 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Good lord.

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:44 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

With the Chiefs having a chance for a dagger drive right here, one thing the Broncos have to be thinking about is that field goal try right before the half, which gave KC an extra three points it may not have otherwise had. Also, the split in carries between Lindsay (13 for 25 yards) and Gordon (12 for 117).

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:36 pm ET · Jared Dubin]

Alright, we're onto the fourth quarter. Much closer game than I'm sure most people envisioned, which is pretty fun!

[Dec 6, 2020 at 10:33 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

If Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs don't repeat as Super Bowl champions this year, I will actually, legitimately be surprised. I mean, these guys can win however they want to win. Denver deserves a lot of credit for showing fight tonight, and this game is far from over, but it's just impossible to watch Andy Reid's offense flash like that and not think they'll find a way.