The Broncos’ win over the Chiefs could be an all-time victory

The Denver Broncos rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and stopped Patrick Mahomes at the goal line as time expired, and Joel Klatt says it was one of the most emotional games he can remember.

When the fourth quarter started Sunday, the Broncos were down 11 points to Kansas City. A loss would have dropped Denver to 5-3, put the Chiefs a game and a half ahead in the AFC West and given them a sweep of the season series. Instead, the Broncos scored 15 unanswered points, took the lead and stopped Patrick Mahomes at the goal line on the final play to win 28-24.

Denver improved to 6-2, took first place in the division and moved into the AFC’s No. 1 seed. It also made up for the 31-10 loss in the opener at Arrowhead.

On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans, with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Fox Sports NFL and college football analyst Joel Klatt joined the show. Mike Evans asked him what watching the finish was like.

“Sitting there Sunday, watching that Chiefs game and the way it ended up, what were you feeling?” Evans asked.

Klatt didn’t hold back.

“Maybe this is recency bias, but that was one of the all-timers,” Klatt said.

That’s high praise from someone who calls big games on national television nearly every weekend. Klatt said this one stood out because of how hopeless it looked for a while.

“There’s just a few games, in at least in my memory, that I can remember being that emotionally invested. And that looked bleak at a certain point, ’cause you just kind of expect Patrick Mahomes to pull something off. That’s Patrick Mahomes. And then, for them to actually win the game, I mean that was an incredible defensive stand,” Klatt said.

For years, that was how games against Kansas City ended. Mahomes got the ball late, the Chiefs drove down the field and teams lost. When Kansas City reached the Broncos’ one-yard line with 15 seconds left, plenty of fans in the stadium were probably expecting the same result. The Chiefs called a designed pass, and the Broncos blew it up. Mahomes broke to his right looking for a way into the end zone, but outside linebacker Que Robinson stayed with him, ran him toward the sideline and forced an incomplete throw. After another blown up play, a false start, and a game winning sack, the goal-line stand held, and the game was over.

Klatt said the defense won it by doing what it has done best all season.

“Obviously the best thing that any defense I think can do, and more specifically with a lead, any sort of lead, is get after the quarterback. And that showed up again,” Klatt said.

Denver’s pass rush has been among the league’s best all year. Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen have been the headliners, and Robinson has emerged as another threat on the edge. Before the game, Cecil Lammey’s game plan for the defense was three words: “Go get Mahomes.” The Broncos did that when it mattered most. They didn’t just pressure him; they kept him from turning a broken play into a touchdown, which is where he has beaten so many defenses before.

The offense did its part, too. Nix had one of his best games of the season, completing 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and he led the fourth-quarter rally. Jonah Coleman added 104 total yards and a touchdown. A few weeks ago, people in Denver were debating whether Nix should be benched. On Sunday, he outplayed Mahomes in the fourth quarter.

There have been plenty of close wins in the Nix era. Last season, the Broncos went 11-2 in one-score games, and this season they have already come back against Jacksonville, the Rams and Seattle. Sunday was different. It came against the team that ruled the division for nearly a decade, against the quarterback who beat Denver again and again, with first place on the line.

Klatt admitted recency bias might be playing a role. Still, Sunday’s win is probably the biggest regular-season victory Denver has had with Nix at quarterback.

Related

Broncos get Pat Bryant back at practiceJoel Klatt says Broncos’ offensive line, not the running back, is holding back the offenseJonah Coleman could change the Broncos potential running back trade plansPat Surtain II offers strong endorsement of Bo Nix, ‘he shows up when it matters’Broncos add practice-squad running back with plenty of experienceReport: Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson a candidate to be NC State head coach