An Incredible, Gritty Win: Denver Broncos Never Quit vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Denver Broncos won in incredible fashion on Sunday evening.

Everything was set up for the Chiefs to win yet again, but the Broncos defense held and won the integral AFC West game.

It was an instant classic. The second of the season (LA Rams comeback was the first).

Bo Nix also enjoyed his best game of the year; it was as complete a win for the Denver Broncos as they've had this season.

A Second Instant Classic for the Denver Broncos

These cardiac kid Broncos can’t stop winning this way.

They've now won 15 straight one-score games dating back to last season. That tied an NFL record.

And winning that way's going to have to suffice.

A Broncos fan at Mile High said after the game, “Why can’t they play Broncos football all game long?“

I responded, “That is Broncos football.”

There’s a reason why this has been labeled a Second Half Team™️.

They don't play well in the first half. They win in the second half and that’s good enough.

“Obviously a big win," Sean Payton said of his 200th victory as a head coach. "I’m proud of just the grit, hang in there, you’re playing a good team."

Denver trailed for most of the game, and were down 11 points early in the fourth quarter. They could've quit but didn't.

"I'm so proud of our team. We went down 11 in the fourth quarter and we all coulda quit," Bo Nix told Tracy Wolfson. "We could've said, 'They got us' you know, like last time. But there's something magical about this place. We came back, I can't explain it."

After going 3-and-out on three drives in the third quarter, Nix led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to push his Broncos ahead. He hit Adam Trautman over the middle of the field for a 22-yard gain and connected with Nate Adkins for the touchdown on 4th-and-goal.

Denver's defense stepped up as Alex Singleton sacked Patrick Mahomes on third down to force Harrison Butker — the joke of a kicker who should focus on raising kids — into a 54-yard field goal that he missed.

That kept the Broncos within only three points.

But they didn't settle for a field goal to tie.

Nix hit Jonah Coleman on a screen and the running back scampered 51 yards to the Chiefs 5 yard line. K.C. let Coleman score on the next play and Denver led 28-24 with just under 2 minutes to play.

That was too much time for the Chiefs.

Then Emmett Johnson took the kickoff to the 50. And Travis Kelce took a pass 32 yards to the Broncos 18.

It looked like Kansas City would certainly score and win the game.

With 35 seconds, they had the ball at Denver's 3 yard line with a first-and-goal. But couldn't score.

Patrick Surtain stuffed Kenneth Walker on first down. Mahomes was pressured and hit by Que Robinson as he went out of bounds on second down.

Then J.L. Skinner, the backup safety, stoned Walker at the 1 to set up the 4th down that decided the game.

The Chiefs actually scored; Mahomes hit Rashee Rice for the touchdown but Jaylon Moore false started before the play. Chiefs fans are crying in their coffee this morning, but it was the right call.

That set up one final play, where Mahomes was beautifully sacked by Malcolm Roach to seal the win.

Sean Payton was asked how his team keeps winning these close games.

“I think honestly, to answer that, I think it has to come from, well, we did it before. It has to come from... You can’t count on that, but it has to come from... I would go back to Philly at Philly after playing Cincinnati on a Monday. I think that’s the first—that would be where my brain would go where we grew a little bit. Then there’s a belief that can get stronger and then there’s experience and then you’re seasoned a little, but we still have a lot of things to fix. I honestly think that’s where I believe it comes from.”

The Broncos aren't winning pretty. They don't need to.

This is a defensive-led team that never quits and loves the grit.

A More Complete Win

This may not be a truly complete win. But it was a more complete win than we've seen all year outside of the game last week against the sorry Cardinals.

Bo Nix had his best day as a passer this season. His 103.9 passer rating was the highest of 2026 by far. He also had four explosive pass plays; 23 yards to Courtland Sutton, 35 to Jaylen Waddle, 22 to Trautman, and 51 from Coleman.

Still, the offense went 2-11 on third downs. That's the area they must continue to work on. Nix had way too many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, which partially led to those failed conversions. On the positive side, the offense went 2-2 on those crucial 4th downs.

The run game was decent, but still not great as well. Coleman took more handoffs (11, 41 yards) than J.K. Dobbins again but Denver still only ran for 3.3 yards per carry.

Still, zero turnovers and only 6 penalties for 45 yards; you'll take it.

Especially the way the defense played.

They swarmed Kenneth Walker all game long and limited him to a mere 69 yards on 21 carries. That was a far cry from his 173 yards in Week 1.

They also pressured Mahomes relentlessly, with 10 QB hits in the game and two sacks. Each of those two sacks were crucial; Singleton's to make Butker's field goal longer and the game-winning sack by Malcolm Roach.

And Denver's special teams was solid; Lutz went 3-3 on his kicks, though the kick coverage team allowed too many yards.

Quick Stats

• Bo Nix led his 15th game winning drive since 2024, which leads the NFL. Josh Allen (11) is second.
• Nix's 12 4th-quarter comeback wins are also the most since he entered the league. Caleb Williams (8) is second.
• The Broncos have won 12 games at home dating to last year, most in the NFL.
• Wil Lutz made his 113th consecutive extra point. That took over Justin Tucker's former record of 112 since the line was moved back 2015.
• Alex Singleton, who won AFC Defensive Player of the Week last week, became one of only three players to record 14-plus tackles and a sack in consecutive games. He joins Ray Lewis and Michael Barrow.
• The Broncos have now won 15 straight games decided by one score or less, which ties the 2008-09 Indianapolis Colts for the longest streak in NFL history.

Denver is now 6-2 on the season and in the driver's seat in the AFC West. According to rbsdm.com Denver has a 53% chance of winning the West, Kansas City has fallen to 44% to win the division. And the Broncos schedule is much easier than the Chiefs from here on out.

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe today. Or leave a tip in the tip jar!

New offer: Get a free artwork print of your choice with a paid subscription.

Follow The Broncos Blitz on Bluesky!

Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.