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What key plays led to the Broncos' 22-19 upset over the Chiefs on Monday?
Executive summary
The Broncos upset the Chiefs 22-19 on a sequence of defensive stands, special-teams heroics and timely field goals: Wil Lutz hit five field goals including a 35-yard walk-off, Frank Crum blocked an extra point that kept the margin manageable, and Denver’s defense produced key stops and a turnover edge while pressuring Patrick Mahomes all game [1] [2] [3]. Penalties and missed opportunities helped shape Kansas City’s limited red-zone returns, and big plays by both teams — Mahomes’ deep strikes and Denver’s Jaleel McLaughlin TD — provided the critical scoring events [4] [1] [5].
1. Denver’s kicker finished the job — Lutz’s five FGs and the walk-off
Wil Lutz was the constant scoring engine: he converted five field goals, including a 54-yarder to tie the game late and a 35-yard kick as time expired to win it, which directly produced the final margin in a 22-19 game [2] [1]. Multiple outlets highlight Lutz’s role as decisive — CBS Sports called it a walk-off and Lutz himself described waiting for a moment like that [2].
2. Special teams swing: a blocked extra point mattered
Frank Crum’s blocked extra point after Travis Kelce’s touchdown in the fourth quarter prevented the Chiefs from gaining a two-score lead and kept the game within one possession — an impact play explicitly credited in postgame reporting [4] [2]. That single blocked PAT altered the arithmetic late in the game and magnified the importance of Lutz’s long kicks [4].
3. Defense delivered pressure, stops and turnover advantage
Denver’s defense repeatedly disrupted Kansas City: the Broncos won the turnover battle and generated critical three-and-outs and late stops that handed the ball back to the offense in key moments [1] [3]. CBS Sports emphasized the pass rush’s season-long impact and noted Denver’s ability to limit KC despite “only” three sacks that day, while other reports highlighted a late three-and-out that set up the game-winning field goal [3] [1].
4. Key touchdown and offensive moments — McLaughlin and Bo Nix’s management
Jaleel McLaughlin’s 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Denver momentum and broke the 6-6 halftime tie [1]. Offensive management under Bo Nix — including converting drives into field goal range and avoiding turnovers at crucial times — sustained scoring opportunities; several game accounts credit Nix with late-game composure that enabled Lutz to attempt the tying and winning kicks [5] [4].
5. Chiefs’ big plays but squandered red-zone efficiency
Patrick Mahomes produced explosive plays — including long completions (a 61-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton noted by The Denver Post and a 60+ yarder mentioned in other game logs) and a 21-yard touchdown to Travis Kelce that gave Kansas City its only lead — but Kansas City repeatedly settled for limited returns inside the red zone, in part because of penalties and Denver’s red-zone resistance [4] [2] [3]. Multiple reports note Kansas City reached the red zone several times but left with modest points, a storyline underscored by CBS and The Kansas City Star [3] [6].
6. Penalties, officiating moments, and contested calls shifted drives
The game featured several penalty plays that influenced drives for both teams: accepted/declined holds, defensive pass interference calls on Riley Moss, and other infractions occurred at pivotal moments; outlets mention a “rough” third-and-20 PI on Moss and multiple holding penalties on Kansas City that affected momentum [4] [3] [7]. Coverage presents these calls as consequential — they either extended opponent drives or wiped out big returns and therefore factor into the close final score [4] [3].
7. Competing narratives: Denver’s resilience vs. Kansas City’s missed chances
Postgame pieces frame the result two ways: Denver as a team finding ways to win close games — highlighted by an 8-game streak and impressive one-score record — and Kansas City as a team that made explosive plays but couldn’t finish in critical spots, now 0-5 in one-score games per CBS and The Kansas City Star [3] [6]. Both narratives are supported by the same plays: Denver’s special teams and defensive stops versus Kansas City’s red-zone inefficiency and penalties [3] [6].
8. Limitations in the record and what sources don’t detail
Game accounts consistently report the scoring sequence, blocked PAT, Lutz’s five FGs, and key defensive stops, but play-by-play nuance (exact sequencing of every third-down stop, every pressure/hit on Mahomes, or the internal coaching decisions on late play-calling) is not exhaustively compiled across these summaries; available sources do not mention the Broncos’ internal play-calling conversations in full detail [1] [4] [3].
Bottom line: Denver’s win was a composite — special-teams excellence (Lutz, blocked PAT), stout defensive stops and turnover advantage, and timely offense (McLaughlin TD, Bo Nix management) — while Kansas City’s big plays were undermined by red-zone inefficiency and penalties that ultimately made the difference in a 22-19 game [1] [2] [4].