The Kansas City Chiefs got the win over Denver without their high-flying style.
In the modern NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs have been exhibit A to the flashy plays and the spectacular throws that have dazzled the football world. On Sunday night, however, the division rival Denver Broncos came in looking for an upset. The reigning world champions threw back to the old school approach and came away with a hard-fought 22-16 victory to improve to 11-1 on the season.
In one of the rarest times of the year, it was the Chiefs defense that largely held their ground for much of the night while the reigning Super Bowl MVP and his crew were held in check. Additionally, the special teams deserve credit as Harrison Butker was responsible for 68 percent of the team’s points on the night with five field goals.
While Patrick Mahomes had his way still as he topped 300 yards passing again but Shelby Harris and the Broncos defense seemed to be in his face with the secondary doing a decent job on Tyreek Hill, who didn’t crack the 100-yard mark after a showcase against Tampa. Denver did seem to forget about Travis Kelce. who went for 136 yards and a score.
The Kansas City Chiefs proved that they can win in multiple ways.
The Sunday Night Football game was indeed a tough fight and the Broncos will likely walk away with heads held high. Kansas City, on the other hand, has a test ahead of them regarding the playoff seeding. Given how only one team will receive a bye starting this year, a loss or even two losses by the Steelers will be needed to ensure that the road to Tampa goes through Arrowhead Stadium.
Additionally, given how the offense looked pedestrian at times in Week 13, the film sessions will need a stricter approach to avoid another night of perplexing and confusion. Defensively, the secondary held their mark but the run defense will need work, which means Steve Spagnuolo will need to break out the old film and incorporate it for success.
The Chiefs won the game and did it the hard way. They now inch closer to a shot at a repeat championship. To pull off a feat like that, however, they will need to perform at a notch better than what was done against Denver, a task that can be accomplished given their pedigree.