Broncos Battle But Fall Short Against Chiefs, 22-16

The Denver Broncos went toe-to-toe to with the defending Super Bowl champs.

But in the end, the Broncos came up short, falling 22-16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

The Broncos took a 10-9 into halftime on the strength of Brandon McManus' 53-yard field goal and a five-yard touchdown pass from Drew Lock to Tim Patrick.

The Chiefs had to settle for three field goals by Harrison Butker.

Kansas City took its first lead, 12-10, on Butker's 31-yard field goal early in the third quarter.

From there the teams traded scores. Lock hit Patrick again, this time from 10 yards out, to put Denver up 16-12 at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs regained the lead with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by Mahomes' scoring pass to Travis Kelce with 1:06 left in the third.

The Broncos faced fourth-and-three from their 49 yard line and head coach Vic Fangio decided to punt with 6:13 remaining in the game.

Butker hit his fourth field goal of the game, this one from 48 yards out, on the ensuing drive to make it 19-16 with 1:04 to go.

But there would be no last-minute comeback for the Broncos. Tyrann Mathieu of the Chiefs intercepted Lock at midfield with under 30 seconds left to seal the win.

Kansas City outgained Denver, 447 yards to 330. Broncos running back Melvin Gordon piled up 131 yards on the ground. Patrick caught four passes for 44 yards with the two touchdowns.

The Broncos return to Empower Field at Mile High to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, December 13. Coverage starts at 8 a.m. MST on KOA NewsRadio 850 AM and 94.1 FM.

KOA Broncos-Chiefs first half highlights.

12-6-20 KOA Broncos-Chiefs second half highlights.

KOA Broncos-Chiefs postgame interviews with (in order) quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and head coach Vic Fangio.