The Broncos rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and sacked Patrick Mahomes on the final play to beat the Chiefs 28-24 and take first place in the AFC West. Here’s how it happened, the key stats and what’s next.
The Broncos rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and sacked Patrick Mahomes on the final play to beat the Chiefs 28-24 and take first place in the AFC West. Here’s how it happened, the key stats and what’s next.
Kara
The Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at Empower Field at Mile High, rallying from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and then stopping Patrick Mahomes on fourth-and-goal on the final play. Malcolm Roach’s game-ending sack lifted Denver to 6-2 and into first place in the AFC West, while Kansas City fell to 5-2. The finish also put Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and coach Andy Reid squarely in the spotlight after a missed 54-yard field goal opened the door for the comeback.
Here’s how it happened, the numbers that mattered, and what both teams face next.
Kansas City controlled most of the afternoon. Mahomes threw touchdown passes to Rashee Rice, rookie running back Emmett Johnson and Noah Gray, and the Chiefs led 24-13 late in the third quarter after Gray’s 4-yard catch, according to CBS Sports’ live coverage. Denver’s offense had gone three-and-out on its first three drives of the second half.
Then the game flipped. The Broncos scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and the defense made the stop that decided it.
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 28 |
Score by quarter via ESPN’s game recap.
Denver started its first fourth-quarter drive at its own 20. Bo Nix hit tight end Adam Trautman for 22 yards, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Alohi Gilman added 15 more. The Kansas City Star noted that linebacker Bick Bolton slipped on the wet field on the Trautman play, with rain falling through the second half.
The drive went nine plays and 80 yards. On fourth-and-goal, Nix found tight end Nate Adkins for a 2-yard touchdown, then hit Jaylen Waddle for the two-point conversion to make it 24-21 with 8:55 left. It was Denver’s second touchdown of the day on fourth-and-goal.
Kansas City answered with a drive that ate 6:24 off the clock over 11 plays. But on third-and-2, Mahomes took a sack from Alex Singleton for a 6-yard loss, which turned a makeable kick into a 54-yarder. Reid sent Butker out anyway instead of punting and pinning Denver deep, and the kick sailed wide right in the rain with 2:31 left.
CBS Sports called it a decision that “will surely be questioned.” It came days after the Chiefs signed veteran kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad, a move the Star tied to Butker’s struggles in recent weeks.
Denver needed just two snaps. Nix threw a short pass to rookie running back Jonah Coleman, who raced 51 yards to the Kansas City 5-yard line. Coleman scored on the next play, putting the Broncos up 28-24 with 1:56 to go. Per the Associated Press, the go-ahead drive took only 35 seconds.
Mahomes had 1:56 and two timeouts, and he drove the Chiefs all the way to the Denver 1-yard line with 15 seconds left. From there, the Broncos held:
The win was another late-game escape for Nix. According to CBS Sports Research, he improved to 12-12 in his career when trailing in the fourth quarter, the best record by any quarterback in that situation since 1970.
Those numbers show how much Kansas City dominated between the 20s. Denver went just 2 for 11 on third down and still won, thanks to two fourth-down touchdowns and the final stand.
Butker made a 45-yard field goal before halftime and three extra points, but the late miss is what people are talking about. With Tucker already on the practice squad, CBS Sports openly asked whether this could mark the end of the Butker era in Kansas City. The Chiefs haven’t announced a kicking change, so for now it’s speculation.
Other storylines coming out of the loss, per the Star:
Denver is now 6-2 and 4-0 at home, and it sits alone atop the division. Kansas City drops to 5-2. With the two teams separated by a half game, the race is wide open heading into November, and the head-to-head result could matter if they finish close.
According to CBS Sports:
Check your local listings or the NFL’s official schedule for kickoff times and TV channels.
If you’re following more of this weekend’s big sports results, see our recap of USC’s 30-18 upset of No. 2 Ohio State, our coverage of the Valkyries’ WNBA championship, and our guide to watching the 2026 World Series.
The Denver Broncos won 28-24 on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
Malcolm Roach sacked Patrick Mahomes on fourth-and-goal on the final play. Kansas City had reached the Denver 1-yard line before a false start pushed it back to the 6.
Reid hasn’t been quoted on it in the reports we reviewed. The Chiefs were up 24-21 and stalled at the Denver 36 after a sack on third down, and Reid chose to kick instead of punt. Butker missed wide right, and Denver scored two plays later.
The Broncos lead the AFC West at 6-2, a half game ahead of the 5-2 Chiefs.
The Chiefs host the New York Jets, and the Broncos visit the Carolina Panthers.
Featured image: Empower Field at Mile High, 2025, by MhcL947, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized.
Five minutes, every Sunday. Free.
Clear, useful guides on money, health, tech, home and everyday life, one small step at a time.
© 2026 StepByStore. All rights reserved.
Disclosure: some articles include sponsored or guest contributions. Commercial links in those articles are marked as sponsored. Learn more in our Editorial Policy.
