• March 28, 2024 7:46 pm

Chiefs finish the regular season with a 28-24 victory over Denver

ByTravis Forsyth

Jan 8, 2022

The Kansas City Chiefs finished the regular season on a high note on Sunday afternoon following a 28-24 win over the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs finish the 2021 campaign with a 12-5 record, becoming the fifth team in NFL history to finish with at least 12 wins in four straight seasons while the Broncos collapse to 7-10.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished with 270 yards and two touchdowns on 27 completions out of 44 passing attempts. Mahomes also led the team in rushing with 54 yards on nine scrambles. 

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill sustained a heel injury during pregame warmups. It was unaffected for most of the game, and Denver’s defense did an excellent job taking tight end Travis Kelce away, allowing just four catches for 34 yards and a score.

However, that didn’t matter as receivers Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle stepped up in the passing game. Hardman finished with eight receptions for 103 yards, and Pringle finished with five catches for 56 yards.

Defensively, Kansas City struggled against Denver’s rushing threat, allowing running back Melvin Gordon to rush for 110 yards and a score off of just 12 carries. They also allowed Javonte Williams to run for 46 yards on 12 rushes, and quarterback Drew Lock got to show off his legs by running 35 yards on four scrambles, scoring two touchdowns.

But the Broncos rushing attack also set up the defensive play that saved Kansas City’s season midway in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos lined up on the Chiefs’ nine-yard line, with 7:57 in the game. At the snap, defensive end Melvin Ingram quickly came off the edge and tackles Melvin Gordon a hard wack just as Drew Lock was handing him the football, forcing the fumble at the 13-yard line. Live ball on the ground, linebacker Nick Bolton quickly scoops it up at the 14 and is off to the races for an incredible 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown to give Kansas City the lead that enviably won the game.

The Chiefs began going on a 19-play drive that traveled 86 yards and ended with Kelce catching a short pass in the end zone for a three-yard score.

However, Denver answered, going on a long, methodical drive that spanned 15 plays and 52 yards. With 32 seconds in the first quarter, Drew Lock tied the game at seven by scrambling for a five-yard score.

After a Kansas City punt at the start of the second quarter, Lock had another strong drive thanks to a potent ground attack.

First, Melvin Gordon went for a 29-yard run followed by a six-yard carry to put Denver across midfield. Then Javonte Williams picked a few short gains of five yards, then three. Four plays later, Lock caught Kansas City off guard again, calling his number and finding a clear path right into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown to give Denver a 14-7 lead.

With under 8 minutes left in the first half, Kansas City had eyes on the end zone to tie it back up before halftime. However, a 15-play drive that started strong eventually fizzled due to penalties and Mahomes failing to connect with his receivers. After traveling 52 yards from Kansas City’s 25, the drive officially stalled at the Broncos’ 16-yard line, where kicker Harrison Butker nailed in a 34-yard field goal to decrease Denver’s lead to four points. 

Both teams punted before heading into the locker room, with Denver ahead 14-10 at the half.

From their 25-yard line, Kansas City opens up the second half with a six-yard run by running back Derrick Gore to get o the 31-yard line. Next came a 10-yard completion by Mahomes to Kelce, followed by a five-yard scamper by Gore. On the next play, Mahomes drops back to find nobody open with pressure gaining down on him, so he turns upfield for a 24-yard scramble out of bounds at the Denver 29-yard line. 

Five plays later, Mahomes delivers a short pass to running back Jerick McKinnon, who dashes to the outside and turns upfield into the end zone for a 14-yard score to retake the lead.

However, it wouldn’t last as Denver regained the lead with a quick seven-play drive thanks to Melvin Gordon, who broke containment and raced up the sideline for a 47-yard score to lead 21-17.

After a 51-yard Kansas City field goal to begin the fourth quarter, Denver retook possession at their 25-yard line.

Melvin Gordon was in on the first five plays of the drive, starting with a seven-yard gain, followed by a run for no gain, then a six-yard catch and another five-yard run.

Next, Lock found receiver Courtland Sutton for a 13-yard completion to get Denver to the Chiefs’ 44-yard line. After a False Start penalty, Lock hooked up with Javonte Williams for seven yards, Tim Patrick for 10 yards, then Williams went for a 15-yard gain on the ground, followed by an 8-yard run by Gordon. 

Knocking on the door at the nine-yard line, ready to punch in another score, defensive end Melvin Ingram flies off the line and into the backfield and disrupts a hand-off from Lock to Gordon, forcing a fumble at the Chiefs’ 13-yard line. The ball is picked up by rookie sensation Nick Bolton, who races down the sideline for an unexpected 86-yard score to give Kansas City the lead. 

The play sucked the life out of Mile High as the Broncos faithful were left stunned by what had just transpired. 

Bolton’s fumble return completely changed the complexion of the game, so much so that Denver never recovered, mustering a 31-yard on their next drive before Kansas City chewed up the clock to land a thirteenth consecutive victory over their division rivals.

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