Chiefs vs. Broncos score, takeaways: Patrick Mahomes, defense help Kansas City sink Denver 16th straight time

Mahomes moves to 12-0 all time against the Broncos while the Chiefs win their fifth straight

The Kansas City Chiefs extended their win streak against the Denver Broncos to 16 on Thursday night as Patrick Mahomes and Co. scored a 19-8 victory. The Chiefs have won five straight games since dropping the season opener to the Detroit Lions, and Mahomes is now 12-0 vs. the Broncos. That ties Otto Graham for the most wins by a quarterback without a single loss against one opponent all time. 

Kansas City jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead, and was able to hold on in the final two quarters. Russell Wilson did engineer a six-play, 61-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with an 11-yard Courtland Sutton touchdown, and then Javonte Williams punched in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 16-8 with 6:07 remaining in the game, but the Chiefs offense milked the clock, and Harrison Butker hit a 52-yard field goal to put the game on ice after the two-minute warning. 

Mahomes completed 30 of 40 passes for 306 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Travis Kelce was predictably his favorite target, and he caught nine passes for 124 yards despite his ankle injury. Rookie Rashee Rice also looked solid, catching seven passes for a career-high 72 yards. 

As for the Broncos, their offense struggled for the majority of the matchup. Wilson completed 13 of 22 passes for 95 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Sutton caught four passes for 46 yards and Denver's lone touchdown. In all, the Broncos were outgained on offense 389 yards to 197 yards. 

Let's take a look at what went down in Kansas City on Thursday night.

Why the Chiefs won

This game wasn't about Andy Reid, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. It was the defense that stood out in Week 6. The defensive dominance started right from the jump, as the Broncos' most successful drive in the first half went for a total of 34 yards. Wilson had just 37 passing yards in the first two quarters, and threw one of his two interceptions. 

You have to remember, the Chiefs and Broncos came into this matchup ranked No. 9 and No. 10 in points scored per game (KC 25.6 ppg, DEN 24.2 ppg), but the Chiefs defense held Wilson, Sutton and Jerry Jeudy in check all game. The defensive line batted down multiple passes and got pressure on the quarterback, and the secondary stuck to their assignments with effective man-to-man coverage.

Why the Broncos lost

It was "Freaky Friday" for the Broncos in a way, as this week, it was the offense that led Denver down instead of the defense.

The Broncos defense entered this matchup as the worst unit in the league. Through five weeks, Denver ranked last in points allowed per game, yards allowed per game, yards per play, yards per rush, rushing yards allowed, points per drive, passing touchdowns and three-and-out percentage. The Broncos also allowed a 77.3% completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks, which was the highest by any team in the first five games of a season since at least 1940. However, on Thursday night, they looked capable.

The Broncos held the Chiefs to a field goal on their first possession, picked off Mahomes on the second possession and then stuffed a "tush push" fake field goal on Kansas City's third possession. The 19 points the Chiefs scored on Thursday night were the second lowest they've scored all season. The Broncos defense was playing some good ball, but the offense just couldn't hold up its end of the bargain.

Why did Denver's offense struggle? Well, there are three issues that immediately come to mind. Wilson did not have his best game, Sean Payton made some curious play calls and then the wide receivers couldn't get separation downfield.

On the Broncos' first possession, Payton decided to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs' 38-yard line. Here's what Wilson did: 

Two plays into Denver's second possession, Wilson threw a very ugly interception to linebacker Nick Bolton.

A few drives later, the Broncos went three-and-out for the second time in the first half. This may have just been a bad play call on third down, but either way, what in the world? 

Again, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did a great job on Denver's wideouts, so the Broncos were left searching for answers on offense for the majority of the matchup. 

Turning point

If you wanted to name an MVP from this game, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has to be mentioned. He's one of the better kickers in the league, and hit all four of his field-goal attempts Thursday night, including one from 60 yards out. Per CBS Sports' kicking expert John Breech, Butker is the seventh kicker in NFL history to have made multiple field goals of 60 yards or more in their career.

Butker also hit a 52-yarder just after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter to extend the Chiefs' lead to 11 points, and effectively end the game. He was perfect on Thursday night. 

Play of the game

The Broncos didn't have many highlights on offense, but they did have the highlight in this matchup. Check out this incredible catch from Sutton in the end zone. Without this play, the game would have never been close. 

Chris Jones' sack streak

The Chiefs found a way to get Jones back in the fold after he missed the season opener vs. Detroit due to a contract dispute, and it's a good thing they did. Kansas City hasn't lost since, and he's a big reason why. 

What's next

The Broncos (1-5) return to Denver next week, where they will host Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers (2-3). As for the Chiefs (5-1), they will host the rival Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) next Sunday in Arrowhead. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 11:01 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

The key storyline of this game for Denver has been its defense. They held firm in the red zone, holding the Chiefs to just one touchdown on five red zone trips on the night. While that latest sack wasn't in the red zone, it was another example of bend-don't-break defense. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:55 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Travis Kelce appears to have aggravated his ankle injury a bit. He had that ankled wrapped up by his defender on the first down catch and needed a minute to before getting up and hobbling on the field. He is back on the field just one play later, however. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:53 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

A remarkable grab by Sutton. Javonte Williams rushes for the successful two-point conversion and now it's a one-possession game. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:49 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Boy, that looks like a touchdown by Courtland Sutton. Sean Payton challenges the play and I think that's going to get overturned for a score. A remarkable catch by Sutton. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:44 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Prior to that pass to Sutton, Russell Wilson had just 57 passing yards for the game. That 21-yard gain is by far the biggest play of the night for Denver. Might just be a little too late. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:42 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Actually, looking at the replay, McKinnon stepped out of bounds, so it wouldn't have been as big of a gain. Didn't count regardless due to the penalty. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:41 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Brutal penalty by MVS that erased a Jerick McKinnon catch and run that would have put the Chiefs inside the 10-yard line.  

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:37 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Justin Watson is down on the field after just missing a massive gain from Patrick Mahomes up the right sideline. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:30 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Another ball batted down at the line of scrimmage. That's four balls hit by the Chiefs against Wilson tonight. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:17 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

The Chiefs need to get Toney out of their backfield. Throughout the season, he has yet to make a significant play as a runner -- including two negative plays tonight -- yet they insist on deploying him in that area of their offense. I get trying to get the ball into the hands of your playmakers, but he's yet to thrive in that situation in '23. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:15 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Mahomes has some of the most deflating rushes that I can recall. Whenever it seems like the defense has him in a corner with his arms, he is able to rush for what is more often than not a back-breaking first down conversion. 

[Oct 12, 2023 at 10:11 pm ET · Tyler Sullivan]

Before the turnover, I liked how the Broncos were finally starting to push the ball down the field. Should have gone to that sooner instead of trying to churn their way down the field on screens and runs.