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The Denver Broncos are riding the high of ending a 16-game losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the win was historic for Denver, it was “embarrassing” for Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. The All-Pro vented about the loss on the November 1 episode of his podcast “New Heights.”
“It felt awkward during the game, like we couldn’t get anything going,” Kelce told his cohost and brother Jason Kelce. “You talk about that sense of urgency on the sideline—it didn’t feel like we had too much of that. And when we finally had that sense of urgency, we turned the ball over and get it ripped right out of our hearts.”
Kelce caught six passes for 58 yards against the Broncos. Denver’s defense kept Kelce and the Chiefs’ offense out of the end zone by holding them to three field goals. Kansas City had five total turnovers in the game, ending all hope of making a late comeback.
The Chiefs stayed in the game because of their defense. Kelce complimented the unit and was frustrated over the offense continually giving the defense poor field position.
“Our defense is playing their tail off, man, and for us to keep turning it over and keep putting them in bad positions and them saving our tail, it’s getting real one-sided. I don’t think I’ve been in a situation where we’ve stalled this much as an offense, throughout the year, definitely at this point in the season.”
The Chiefs’ star stated of his effort, “My coaches and teammates don’t deserve that out of me, for sure.”
It seems like Kelce needs to follow the advice of his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, and “Shake It Off.”
Broncos’ Top Defender Earns Weekly Honor After Week 8 Upset
Safety Justin Simmons beat the Chiefs for the first time on October 29. The NFL recognized his efforts by naming him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Simmons became the first Broncos defender to earn Player of the Week honors in 2023. The Week 8 win also marked the first time Simmons had been named Defensive Player of the Week. He was also named Special Teams Player of the Week as a rookie during the 2016 campaign.
The Pro Bowl safety was all over the field against Kansas City. Simmons recorded an interception, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and two tackles in the 24-9 win.
Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on a fourth-and-27 play with 4:45 left in the game. Simmons clutched up and made a play that slammed the door on the Chiefs.
The reigning NFL MVP will likely have nightmares about Simmons until they meet again. Simmons has five interceptions of Mahomes, which are the most by any player.
Do Broncos Have a Stunning Playoff Run in Them After Bye Week?
After starting the season 0-3, the Broncos have won three of their last five games. While Denver is still sitting in the basement of the AFC West with a 3-5 record, the team has shown progress.
Despite the rough start to the year, do the Broncos have a chance of making a surprise playoff push?
It will be tricky but not impossible, as the remaining schedule appears slightly more forgiving. Denver comes out of their Week 9 bye with a primetime showdown against the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen and Buffalo’s high-scoring offense will pose a significant challenge defensively for the Broncos.
Following that game, the Broncos have at least five favorable matchups left. Denver has remaining games with the up-and-down Los Angeles Chargers, messy Las Vegas Raiders, the New England Patriots, and a Minnesota Vikings team missing quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Making a playoff run in a loaded AFC could be too little, too late for Denver. If the Broncos can continue showing improvement, nothing is out of the question with head coach Sean Payton leading the charge.
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