Broncos beat Chiefs in thriller to seize command of AFC West, put Kansas City's playoff hopes in further peril

The Kansas City Chiefs are the winners of nine consecutive AFC West titles.

Getting to 10 will require a miracle.

The Denver Broncos rallied for a 22-19 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday to seize command of the AFC West. With the win, the Broncos improved to 9-2 to take a two-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) in the division. The Chiefs, meanwhile, dropped to 5-5, 3 1/2 games and a tie-breaker game behind the Broncos in third place.

If the Chiefs are going to play in a fourth straight Super Bowl and a sixth in seven years, it's looking increasingly likely that they'll have to do so as a wild-card team with a difficult path through the AFC playoffs on the road. That's if they even make the postseason at all.

The Chiefs still have a solid chance of making the playoffs. But they're 11 weeks into the season and they remain on the outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture. It's unfamiliar territory for these Chiefs and their fans.

Broncos defense holds Mahomes, sets up game-winning drive

The outcome on Sunday was very much up in the air until late as defense set the tone in a game that was tied at 6 at halftime.

The Broncos scored the first touchdown of the game on a Jaleel McLaughlin run in the third quarter. The Chiefs tied it on a Kareem Hunt touchdown run later in the quarter, then took their first lead of the game on a pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce with 9:57 remaining.

But the Broncos blocked the extra point, allowing Wil Lutz to tie the game at 19 with a field goal on the other end, setting Mahomes up in a position he's been in many times before - with the ball in his hands and a chance to tie the game.

But Denver's defense did not relent with the game on the line. The Broncos forced a three-and-out after punting the ball back to the Chiefs with 4:06 remaining in a tie game. A Ja'Quan McMillian sack of Mahomes on third down forced the punt.

Bo Nix, Broncos offense deliver

That put the ball in Bo Nix's hand with his own chance to lead a game-winning drive. He succeeded where Mahomes did not.

Nix found Courtland Sutton for a critical third-down conversion near midfield. He then hit Troy Franklin for a 32-yard gain to set up Lutz for the winning field goal as time expired.

Ducks fly together!@OregonFootball | : CBS pic.twitter.com/dvkcRLaffW

- Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 17, 2025

Lutz was good from 35 yards to secure the walkoff win.

Broncos on track for first AFC West title since Peyton Manning

With the win, it's the Broncos who find themselves in control of the division. They're the last team besides the Chiefs to win the AFC West and are on track to secure their first division title since they won the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning in the 2015 season.

And they're in a race with the New England Patriots (9-2) and Indianapolis Colts (8-2) for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the conference's only first-round playoff bye.

They got to the win column on Sunday with the same formula that's worked all season - with stifling defense and clutch play down the stretch in a close game.

Playing a third straight game without injured shutdown cornerback Patrick Surtain II (pectoral), Denver's defense limited the Chiefs to 311 yards of offense on 5.2 yards per play. The Broncos sacked Mahomes three times, including McMillian's takedown that forced a punt and set Denver up for the winning drive.

Mahomes finished the game completing 29-of-45 passes for 276 yards (6.1 yards per attempt) with 1 touchdown and an interception. Kansas City managed just 62 yards on the ground.

And with the game on the line, Denver came up clutch again. The Broncos improved to 7-2 this season in games decided by a single score. Nix completed 24-of-37 passes for 295 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers.

Kansas City's path to the postseason

With the loss, the Chiefs drop a full game behind the 6-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, who would be the last AFC team to make the playoffs if they started next week. And the Jaguars hold a tiebreaker over the Chiefs in the wild-card race thanks to a 31-28 win over Kansas City in Week 4.

Things won't get any easier next week when the Chiefs host the AFC South-leading Colts. From there, Kansas City faces games against the Texans, Chargers, Titans and Broncos on Christmas before closing out their season on the road against the Raiders.

It's a mix of tough matchups and winnable games in which the Chiefs will have little margin for error to make the playoffs.