Broncos heartbroken by blocked discipline purpose loss to Chiefs: ‘We had been proper there’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike McGlinchey rotated, noticed his rookie quarterback and let loose a guttural yell.

Bo Nix had simply discovered Courtland Sutton for a third-down conversion late within the fourth quarter, placing the Denver Broncos in place to slay the undefeated Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. McGlinchey, the veteran proper deal with, pumped his fist as he and proper guard Quinn Meinerz embraced Nix. Beneath two minutes remained after the play that gave the Broncos a primary down on the Chiefs’ 17-yard line. The house crew was out of timeouts. A few run performs and a kneeldown and the Broncos can be in place to finish a shedding streak at Arrowhead Stadium that has lasted 9 agonizing years. The Broncos had outplayed the two-time defending Tremendous Bowl champions, coach Sean Payton stated afterward, and all they wanted was one kick to make that rely.

Thirty minutes later, the Broncos had been left solely to grapple with probably the most excruciating loss a lot of them had ever skilled.

“That is one thing that’s going to be laborious to neglect about,” cornerback Pat Surtain II stated. “We had been proper there.”

IT’S BLOCKED! @CHIEFS WIN! STILL UNDEFEATED! pic.twitter.com/hMLhAgbRpf

— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024

The locker room scene informed the story of devastation — the type solely a loss suffered this manner may inflict. Proof of the harm welled within the eyes of gamers in any respect positions and all expertise ranges. The place phrases failed, the lengthy stares, puffy eyes and bewildered expressions illustrated the ache.

“Video games like this are supposed to harm, man,” defensive deal with Malcolm Roach stated of Denver’s 16-14 loss. “We see the faces on all people on this locker room. It’s supposed to harm as a result of we’re so invested, man. All people works their tail off on daily basis, and we see it. When you’re not invested in it, it wouldn’t really feel this manner. It wouldn’t really feel this dangerous. We all know the place we need to go, the place we’re making an attempt to go, the place we’re preventing to go. We’ve obtained to present this metropolis one thing to be pleased with.”

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The Broncos sacked Patrick Mahomes 4 occasions and pressured him relentlessly. They pressured Kansas Metropolis to kick discipline targets on three of its 4 journeys into the purple zone. Nix led the Broncos on two of the season’s prettiest drives — each ending in landing passes by the rookie quarterback — to stake Denver to an early 14-3 lead. Then, after scuttling by way of a lot of the second half, he led the Broncos on a last drive that lasted almost six minutes, chewing all the remaining clock earlier than leaving the sector. He settled in to look at what he anticipated can be a game-winning 35-yard discipline purpose by Wil Lutz.

“We gave ourselves an opportunity,” Nix stated. “They simply made one further play.”

In a blink, hope died. Hope of the primary win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium since 2015. Hope of a victory that may have given the Broncos a 6-4 file and an enormous increase within the chase for an elusive playoff spot. Hope that they’d finished sufficient to lastly pin the crew that all the time appears to search out an escape hatch.

It was all extinguished when linebacker Leo Chenal bulldozed Broncos offensive lineman Alex Forsyth and different Chiefs rushed in from the left facet. Chenal blocked the kick simply after it left Lutz’s proper foot. The Chiefs streamed onto the sector in celebration. Mahomes sprinted by way of the top zone, arms open extensive, as a delirious crowd roared. Payton stated the ultimate play was attributable to “penetration from the left facet,” however he didn’t delve any additional.

“It didn’t go in,” Lutz stated. “That was my vantage level. We’re all nonetheless making an attempt to take it in proper now.”

Nix took a deep breath and stared on the sky. Different Broncos stood of their spots, coming to grips with the heartbreaking actuality.

“It hurts,” McGlinchey stated. “That may have been a very good one. And we’d have received it the fitting manner, from a full-team perspective. I believe our protection performed their butts off at this time to carry them to 16 factors. We had a pair alternatives within the second half offensively that we may have finished a greater job with to get the lead going and make the sport extra in our management. To do what we did on that final drive and primarily do what you thought would finish the sport — after which, you recognize, you’ll be able to’t go to sleep on one play. It will possibly change the face of the sport. It will possibly change the face of a season.”

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Had the wall held and Lutz’s kick sailed by way of — he has missed solely two of 34 kicks below 40 yards since becoming a member of the Broncos in 2023, and each had been Chiefs blocks — the Broncos would have celebrated a resilient efficiency by their protection. The unit harassed Kansas Metropolis’s two-time MVP quarterback and responded when Mahomes created magic. The Chiefs scored a landing on a fourth-and-goal play on the 2-yard line — a drive that was prolonged after a questionable unlawful contact name on security Brandon Jones on third down — however settled for discipline targets on their different three journeys contained in the 20-yard line, together with two inside the ten. The Broncos restricted the Chiefs to only 57 yards on 19 carries. The Broncos have allowed solely two Chiefs touchdowns of their previous two video games at Arrowhead Stadium, however they’ve solely two losses to point out for it.

“One of many keys was going to be third downs and purple zone effectivity,” Payton stated. “Man, we did it a 12 months in the past rather well right here, when you recall. They moved the ball however held them to discipline targets, and we had been in a position to try this at this time.”

Mahomes nonetheless had his highlights, like when he escaped a would-be sack from Nik Bonitto on third-and-13 and located former Broncos operating again Samaje Perine for a 31-yard acquire. However the Broncos saved answering, their final goal-line stand forcing a discipline purpose that gave the Chiefs a 16-14 edge with 5 minutes, 57 seconds remaining.

Had the ultimate kick gone down because it ought to have, the profitable celebration would have included hefty reward for Nix, who had extra yards per try (7.2 to six.3), extra landing passes (two to at least one) and a greater passer score (115.3 to 92) than Mahomes. On back-to-back landing drives within the second quarter, Nix accomplished 7 of 8 passes for 114 yards. Each of his scoring throws in that stretch — a 6-yard slant to Devaughn Vele and a 32-yard deep ball for Sutton — got here on third down.

🔟➡️1️⃣4️⃣

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/bU0I65Txmo

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 10, 2024

“I believed the ‘Q’ performed actual nicely,” Payton stated of Nix. “Poised. Gutsy.”

Had the kick made a whole stadium groan, a subplot to the profitable story would have been the ever-growing contribution from Denver’s younger offensive weapons. Rookie operating again Audric Estimé, in his most expansive motion of the season, rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries. He figured prominently on Denver’s first two landing drives within the first half and ran for six yards on third-and-1 to increase Denver’s last drive within the fourth quarter. Vele, in the meantime, caught 4 passes for 39 yards and his first profession landing, with two of his grabs made by way of contact on third down. The Broncos punted on their first three possessions of the second half. Their first collection was stalled by a holding penalty, and the Broncos didn’t have solutions for a few of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s third-down stress seems to be. Nonetheless, in a season that might be outlined by improvement, younger gamers, together with second-year extensive receiver Marvin Mims Jr., confirmed extra development.

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All these silver linings would possibly emerge by way of the harm sooner or later. McGlinchey stated the loss “can be extra gas to the fireplace.” Nix praised the battle of a crew that bounced again from final week’s lopsided loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Exterior linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who sacked Mahomes one week after signing a four-year contract extension, insisted there can be no finger-pointing because the Broncos picked up the items. Surtain famous the Broncos nonetheless have seven video games, starting with Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The groups chasing the Broncos for wild-card positioning within the AFC — the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets — all misplaced Sunday. Their efficiency on the highway was proof, the Broncos claimed, that they will beat anybody down the stretch. The franchise’s first playoff berth since 2015 doesn’t appear to be some faraway pipe dream based mostly on how the Broncos regarded for the primary 59 minutes, 59 seconds in opposition to the Chiefs.

However there was no easing the ache produced by a last second gone flawed. Not but, anyway.

“The straightforward factor to do is give in and cease, say that it’s too laborious,” Nix stated. “I really feel like our locker room goes to reply higher and constantly discover methods to enhance, discover methods to maintain going toe-to-toe with groups like this. One time, it’ll go our manner.”

Payton has suffered brutal losses in his profession. Anybody who lasts almost 20 years as a head coach will expertise his share of them. Payton misplaced a playoff recreation on the ultimate play on the Minnesota Vikings. He missed out on a visit to a second Tremendous Bowl after the “NOLA no-call” within the 2018 NFC Championship Recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. He informed gamers within the locker room that Sunday’s loss was proper up there with the hardest he’s needed to abdomen.

“That one will take some time” to recover from, Payton stated. “That one will sting. … As a coach, you harm in your gamers.”