- Chiefs managed to lock their playoff berth with a win over the Broncos, 22-16
- Mahomes remained composed even though he didn’t have a great night, unlike Travis Kelce.
- Denver was very good, but didn’t have the juice to resist the champs in the final period.
Kelce and Butker in the Middle
One had a historic night, while the other one delivered 15 points for the hosts in a match that saw the current Super Bowl champions struggling. The Broncos were excellent on the defensive side of the ball, preventing Mahomes from connecting with his receivers in the endzone. He ended the night with just one TD toss and 318 passing yards.
But that is where Butker stepped in, scoring five times from a distance, keeping his team in the game. His Chiefs were behind at halftime, 10-9, with the Broncos extending that lead near the end of the third to 16-12.
KC responded immediately, with Mahomes finally finding Kelce in the promised land to regain the edge, 19-16. Following that came a period in which both teams played tough defense, with only points being delivered by Butker, whose 48-yard FG took the hosts to 22-16.
.@sammywatkins had the mic in his return to Arrowhead 🦎 pic.twitter.com/igxDEUS2dt
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 10, 2020
Lock had a chance to stun the Chiefs, but his attempts were pretty poor, going three-and-0 before being picked by Tyrann Mathieu on the fourth down. This was his second intercepted pass tonight, both by the same player.
Travis Kelce became the first tight end in NFL history to have five 1000+ receiving-yard seasons. He would thank Mahomes for that, saying that everything is much easier with such a lethal passer next to him.
“It’s such a blessing to have that guy back there slinging it around,” Kelce said, “because he takes the ultimate pride in his craft and playing the game, and you know you can always count on him.”
Kelce had 136 yards on 8 receptions for one TD.
Broncos’ Good Performance Without a Reward
We need to emphasize Denver’s defensive team here, as they played excellent against the best and the most diverse offense in the league. They stopped KC from reaching the endzone, but simply couldn’t go against Butker’s field goals.
If Broncos’ had a bit more composure in the attack, they would for sure utilize this factor and leave the Arrowhead Stadium with a better result.
“There’s no feel-good losses in this league,” Drew Lock said. “We did play them closer than we have before, but I mean, what does that get you? Nothing.”
One of the main reasons for wasting an opportunity to win the match was Lock’s mediocre performance. He yielded just 151 passing yards for two touchdown passes but also two interceptions. Tim Patrick was Lock’s target on both of those TD passes.
Melvin Gordon was the brightest spot among the guests, having 14 rushes for 131 yards, with the veteran RB constantly creating problems for the Chiefs defense.
The Broncos visit the Carolina Panthers next weekend. Meanwhile, Kansas City hits the road as well, heading to Miami to play against the Dolphins.
