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Broncos give valiant effort, but come up short in 22-16 loss to Chiefs

By George Stoia December 6, 2020 | updated 5 years ago

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With 6:13 remaining and the Broncos trailing by three and facing a fourth and 3 from their own 49-yard line in a game no one expected them to be in, coach Vic Fangio had a decision to make. 

Go for it or punt.

Fangio opted for the latter and the Chiefs went on a 10-play, 55-yard, 5:03 drive and kicked their fifth field goal to take a 22-16 lead with only 1:04 left in the game and leaving the Broncos with no timeouts. Denver was unable to move the ball as quarterback Drew Lock threw an interception with 24 seconds to go ending the game.

The Broncos are now 4-8 for the second straight season.

“I gave it strong consideration,” said Fangio of not going for it on fourth down. “But at some point in the game, we’ve got to get a stop. We weren’t able to. In retrospect, probably should’ve gone for it. I did give it serious thought.”

The Broncos, surprisingly, hung with the Chiefs the entire game after coming into Sunday night as 13.5-point underdogs. 

Denver took an early 3-0 lead on a Brandon McManus 53-yard field goal in the first quarter and led 10-3 early after Lock found wide receiver Tim Patrick for a 5-yard touchdown pass — his first career touchdown pass against Kansas City. The Chiefs would kick field goals on their next three possessions to take a 12-10 lead in the third, before Lock found Patrick again to take a 16-12 lead with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter. Lock finished 15 of 28 for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Then, on the ensuing Chiefs possession, Mahomes finally found the end zone when tight end Travis Kelce caught a 20-yard touchdown pass with under three minutes remaining in the third. Neither team would score again until Kansas City’s 48-yard field goal late in the fourth to secure a 22-16 victory. 

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“I just think our team played extremely hard, with a lot of might, and I think that’s what they’ve been doing all year, to be honest with you,” Fangio said. “I think that’s well established here and that’s what they did.  We gave ourselves a chance against a really good team.”

The Broncos’ effort was admirable Sunday, but Fangio isn’t one for excuses. 

“We’ve got to be better when playing against this team. They’re, really, really good,” Fangio said. “No moral victories. We came here to win. I fully thought we would win and I’m disappointed we came up short.”

The Broncos have a less than a one percent chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.com. 

But with a relatively young and cheap roster — the combined average salary of the Broncos ($18M) starting quarterback, wide receivers, running backs and tight end is approximately $72 million less than the Chiefs ($90M) — the Broncos should be able to take away some positives from Sunday night. 

And while Denver may not be able to make the playoffs, there’s still plenty to play for in the final four games. 

“We’re going to go try and win the next game. People’s jobs are on the line,” defensive end Shelby Harris said. “You’re fighting for your job next year. That’s it. That’s what it is…. You’re fighting for your job next year. And if you’re not, you’re going to be out of this league.” 

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