Broncos Sack Mahomes to Secure Tight Win Over Chiefs

The Denver Broncos held off a final drive by the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, winning 28-24 in a closely contested AFC West matchup.

With four seconds remaining and the ball at the one-yard line, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass intended for Rashee Rice. A false-start penalty on offensive tackle Jaylon Moore negated the touchdown, forcing the Chiefs to run from the six-yard line with no timeouts.

On the final play, Denver sacked Mahomes, ending the game and improving their record to 6-2. This loss dropped Kansas City to 5-2. The result was the 71st game this season decided by one score or less, a figure that ties the record for the most through Week 8 since the 1970 merger.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid questioned the false-start call, stating he did not see the penalty despite observing movement by Moore. The narrow margin of victory also intensified scrutiny on kicker Harrison Butker, whose field goal accuracy has declined to 82% over the past three years.

Butker missed a 54-yard attempt with 2:36 left in the fourth quarter that would have increased the Chiefs' lead. He had previously made a 45-yard kick earlier in the game. Kansas City signed veteran Justin Tucker to its practice squad last week to add competition at the position.

Denver capitalized on the missed kick by driving 56 yards in two plays to take a 28-24 lead. The Broncos have a 16-2 record in one-score games over the past two seasons, the best mark in the league. Broncos coach Sean Payton attributed the team's performance to their experience in finishing tight games.

This win marked the 35th game of the season to end with a game-winning score in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime. The NFL record for that period through eight weeks stands at 36.