Denver Broncos: 3 Takeaways vs. Chiefs in Week 17
By Bruce Matson
The Denver Broncos lost their final game of the season to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24, dropping their record to 5-11. Here are three takeaways from that game.
The season is finally over and the Denver Broncos now have the offseason to look forward too. They finished the year last in the AFC West Division with a 5-11 record. The Broncos ended their season with two straight loses which will helped net them a top five draft pick.
The Kansas City Chiefs scored on a 35-yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt early in the first quarter. The Broncos retaliated with a Brandon McManus 36-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 going into the second quarter.
Denver scored their first touchdown of the game when Paxton Lynch connected with De’Angelo Henderson for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Kansas City answered back when Anthony Sherman scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-10 going into halftime.
With 3 minutes and 58 seconds to go in the third quarter, Harrison Butker landed a 20-yard field goal for the Chiefs. A few plays later, Chiefs’ linebacker Ramik Wilson returned a fumble 11-yards for a touchdown to make the score 24-10 going into the fourth quarter.
Denver tried to mount a comeback when Broncos’ linebacker, Zaire Anderson, returned a fumble 38-yards for a touchdown. With 2 minutes and 53 seconds left in the game, Paxton Lynch connected with Demaryius Thomas for a six yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 24. However, the Chiefs managed to drive the ball downfield and score on a Harrison Butker 30-yard field goal to make the final score 27-24.
A lot happened in this game. Both teams played their backups. The Chiefs had their playoff spot already locked in, so they had the liberty of being able to rest some of their key players. Denver was completely out of playoff contention going into this game which allowed them to play some of their young developmental prospects to see what they can do in live action. With all that being said, here are three key takeaways from Sunday’s game.