By MATT PIKE
Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field goal to beat the Chiefs on Sunday and couldn’t help but think back to last year at Kansas City, when his kick was blocked as time expired in the same situation.
This time, Lutz nailed the game-winner, his fifth field goal of the day, pushing the Denver Broncos past the Chiefs 22-19 for their eighth straight victory. Broncos coach Sean Payton said last November’s 16-14 heartbreaker at Arrowhead Stadium galvanized his team, which went on a 5-2 run to reach the playoffs, and Lutz concurred.
The Broncos all but buried the Chiefs in the AFC West, which Kansas City has won every year since 2016. Chiefs coach Andy Reid fell to 27-5 following a bye week, counting the playoffs and his time with Philadelphia.
Bo Nix set up the game-winning kick with a 32-yard strike to Troy Franklin that got Denver to the Kansas City 15 with under a minute remaining.
After Lutz hit a 38 yard field goal to give Denver a three point advantage, Patrick Mahomes gave Kansas City its only lead on a 21-yard touchdown toss to Travis Kelce, marking the veteran tight end’s 84th career touchdown, one more than previous Chiefs franchise record-holder Priest Holmes. That put the Chiefs up 19-16, but Harrison Butker’s extra point was blocked by Frank Crum. The Broncos tied it at 19-all on Lutz’s 54-yarder with 4:10 remaining.
RIGHT WHEN WE NEEDED HIM MOST‼️ pic.twitter.com/VKGspXkkkt
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 17, 2025
Denver’s defense forced Kansas City to go three-and-out when Ja’Quan McMillian sacked Mahomes on third-and-10 from the Chiefs 36. That was the second sack by McMillian, who also had six tackles, including two for loss, two quarterback hits, a pass breakup and an interception.
The Broncos chewed up the final 2:59 by driving 58 yards in 10 plays. They won their 11th straight game at Empower Field, where they haven’t lost since October 2024, and they beat the Chiefs on their home turf for the third consecutive time.
The teams went into halftime tied at six, Lutz hitting field goals of 29 and 24 yards in the first quarter, and Harrison Butker knocking through a 31 yard kick in the first quarter and another from the same distance late in the second quarter.
Jaleel McLaughlin, playing in place of injured starter J.K. Dobbins, who underwent season-ending foot surgery last week, bullied his way in from four yards out to break the tie late in the third quarter and then the Chiefs seized the momentum when Mahomes found Tyquan Thornton for a 61-yard gain to the Denver 11.
That set up Kareem Hunt’s two yard touchdown run that tied it at 13. That was Kansas City’s first touchdown at Empower Field in 11 quarters.
Mahomes was 29 of 45 passing for 276 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Hunt rushed 13 times for 59 yards with a score. Kelce led all receivers with nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Hollywood Brown had four catches for 40 yards.
Up next Kansas City (5-5) host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Kickoff is at noon with pregame at 11am on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM) and Q Country (92.7FM).
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.
