Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, right, celebrate Sunday’s win over the Broncos that was made possible when Chenal got a hand on a 35-yard field goal try on the final play of Sunday’s game at Arrowhead.
Ed Zurga | AP photo
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs have won just about every way imaginable during a perfect 15-game run that dates to last season: Patrick Mahomes leading last-second touchdown drives, their defense making a stand, and Harrison Butker kicking game-winning field goals.
They added a walk-off block to the list against the Broncos on Sunday.
Leo Chenal was part of a red wave that crashed through the center of the Denver field goal unit, and the Chiefs linebacker got his hand on Wil Lutz’s 35-yard attempt as time expired, allowing Kansas City to escape with a 16-14 victory.
“It’s a complete shock, you know? Not much I can say about it,” Chenal said. “I was really praying for something to happen. That moment is so heavy. There’s a second on the clock, they’re going to kick a field goal and you feel the weight of the moment.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid indicated they took advantage of something they had seen in the Broncos’ field-goal operation.
“We did,” Reid said, “but it’s also something we work on like crazy. It normally doesn’t work quite like that one.”
The Chiefs had taken the lead on Butker’s field goal with 5:57 remaining, but Bo Nix and the Broncos converted a trio of third downs while marching right back down the field. They proceeded to set up Lutz for the winner, but Chenal came up the middle amid a big push by the Kansas City defensive line to get his hand on the kick.
The ball squibbed away toward the Denver sideline as the Chiefs rushed onto the field to celebrate.
“I felt like we outplayed them but we didn’t finish,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “That one will take a while. It’ll sting.”
Mahomes finished with 266 yards passing and a touchdown for the Chiefs, who became only the fifth Super Bowl champion to win its first nine games the next season. That also matches the best start to a season in franchise history, and their 15-game win streak dating to last season is the longest in the NFL since the Packers won 19 in a row from 2010-11.
Travis Kelce had eight catches for 64 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City. DeAndre Hopkins caught four passes for 56 yards, and Kareem Hunt was held to 35 yards rushing but also caught seven passes for 65 yards.
“Any way you win is good in this league,” Mahomes said. “You live for these moments. When you grow up playing football, you live for the walk-off whatever-it-is. And I’m glad we get to experience it together.”
Nix finished with 215 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Broncos (5-5). Courtland Sutton had six catches for 60 yards and a score. And their 13-yard hookup on third-and-6 with 1:45 left is what gave Denver a chance to kick as time expired.
“They just made one extra play. When we thought it was in our hands, it wasn’t,” Nix said. “It’s tough. And again, it’s two good football teams out there playing against each other, and one day it will go our way.”
The Broncos stunned the Chiefs a year ago, forcing five turnovers in a 21-9 win at Denver that ended a 16-game losing streak in the series. And they clearly had the same intention in mind as the AFC West rivals met again Sunday.
Their defense harassed Mahomes throughout the first half, particularly when an injury to Wanya Morris forced rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia into the game. And the Broncos capitalized on offense with two long scoring drives, the first ending with Nix finding Devaughn Vele wide open and the second with Sutton’s 32-yard TD catch for a 14-3 lead.
It was Mahomes who got the Chiefs on track, going 7 for 7 for 62 yards on the ensuing drive. When it looked as if it had stalled at the Denver 2, Reid went against his conservative nature on fourth down, and Mahomes hit Kelce for the score.
The Chiefs still trailed 14-10 at the break, meaning they had Denver right where they wanted them.
Unflappable in winning its last eight games when trailing in the second half, Kansas City closed within 14-13 on Butker’s chip-shot field goal late in the third quarter. The Chiefs defense then forced back-to-back punts, and Mahomes and the offense drove to the Denver 2, where Butker added the go-ahead kick with just under six minutes remaining.
Plenty of time for the Broncos to drive down the field. Not enough time for them to win.
“I told our team I was proud of the way they fought. I thought we outplayed them,” Payton said. “But nonetheless, you have to beat a champion and we weren’t able to do it, so obviously gut-wrenching.”
PANTHERS 20, GIANTS 17, OT
MUNICH — Eddy Pineiro kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime and Carolina made back-to-back wins for the first time this season, beating New York in Germany.
The Giants (2-8) won the coin toss to start overtime, but rookie running back Tyrone Tracy fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Josey Jewell recovered at the 23 for the Panthers (3-7).
The Giants rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and forced overtime on Graham Gano’s 42-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
Gano, who earlier missed from 43 yards, was playing for the first time since September after a hamstring injury.
CARDINALS 31, JETS 6
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and also ran for two scores and Arizona won their fourth straight game by racing to a big lead and easily handling New York.
The Cardinals (6-4) scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives and never trailed.
Murray completed 22 of 24 passes — including a franchise-record 17 in a row during one stretch — spreading the ball around to James Conner, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. The Cardinals quarterback also ran for 21 yards.
Conner had five catches for 80 yards. Harrison caught the sixth touchdown pass of his rookie season. The Cardinals’ defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the third straight home game.
VIKINGS 12, JAGUARS 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Minnesota’s stingy defense held Jacksonville to 143 yards — the fewest in coach Doug Pederson’s three seasons — and the Vikings overcame Sam Darnold’s three interceptions to beat the Jaguars.
It was Darnold’s first three-interception game in three years. All of them came while targeting All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with five catches for 48 yards.
The Vikings (7-2) trailed most of the day, but took the lead on the third of John Parker Romo’s four field goals. Romo hit from 29, 34, 33 and 45 yards in his NFL debut.
The Jaguars (2-8) had a chance late thanks to Travon Walker’s sack on a third-and-1 play. Coach Kevin O’Connell had Darnold passing with roughly three minutes to go, a head-scratcher given Jacksonville had been so lethargic on offense.
BILLS 30, COLTS 20
INDIANAPOLIS — Taron Johnson returned Joe Flacco’s first pass 23 yards for a touchdown Sunday, and Josh Allen and James Cook each scored on TD runs to lead AFC East-leading Buffalo past Indianapolis.
The Bills (8-2) extended their winning streak to five with their first victory at Indianapolis since 1998. Allen was 22 of 37 for 280 yards with two interceptions while running eight times for 50 yards. Cook had 19 carries for 80 yards.
Flacco had four turnovers — three interceptions and a fumble — in his second start since replacing the benched Anthony Richardson. He was 26 of 35 for 272 yards and two TDs as the Colts (4-6) lost their third straight.
Jonathan Taylor rushed 21 times for 114 yards and rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell had his biggest game of the season with six catches for 71 yards.
It was an odd game, full of twists, turns and turnovers.
PATRIOTS 19, BEARS 3
CHICAGO — Drake Maye got the better of Caleb Williams in a matchup between top rookie quarterbacks and New England beat struggling Chicago.
Maye led five scoring drives and the Patriots sacked Williams a season-high nine times, helping New England (3-7) come away with the win after losing seven of eight.
As if losing at Washington on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels two weeks ago and then falling flat at Arizona last week wasn’t enough, things took another bad turn for the Bears (4-5).
They managed just 142 yards and were 1 of 14 on third downs facing a team that came in tied with six others for the worst record in the NFL. It got so bad that fans started calling for coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal in the closing minutes, chanting “Fire ’Flus!”
Maye didn’t exactly light it up. The No. 3 overall draft pick was 15 of 25 for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
SAINTS 20, FALCONS 17
NEW ORLEANS — Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his second game for New Orleans, and the Saints began Darren Rizzi’s tenure as interim coach by snapping a seven-game skid with a victory over the Falcons.
The 54-year-old Rizzi, the Saints’ special teams coordinator, was given his first head coaching opportunity on Monday after the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen.
His triumphant debut came not only against the NFC South’s first-place team, but the Saints’ oldest regional rival.
49ERS 23, BUCCANEERS 20
TAMPA, Fla. — Jake Moody redeemed himself after missing three earlier field goals by booting a 44-yarder as time expired to give San Francisco a victory over Tampa Bay in running back Christian McCaffrey’s season debut.
Moody, in his first game back after being sidelined three weeks with a sprained ankle, also kicked field goals of 28 and 33 yards for the defending NFC champion 49ers (5-4), who have won consecutive games for the first time this season.
But the usually reliable kicker, who was 13 of 14 entering Sunday, also missed wide left from 49 and 50 yards before missing wide right on a 44-yard attempt that would have given San Francisco a six-point lead with 3:09 remaining.
TV cameras caught 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel exchanging words and appearing to shove long snapper Taybor Pepper when the wide receiver approached Moody on the sideline after the third miss.
CHARGERS 27, TITANS 17
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Justin Herbert threw for a touchdown and ran for one as Los Angeles won their third straight game, pulling away in the second half to beat Tennessee.
The Chargers (6-3) have won four of five and are the fourth team since 1990 and the first since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first nine games.
The Titans (2-7) came in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense overall and against the pass but forced Los Angeles to go three-and-out only twice in nine possessions.
Calvin Ridley scored both of Tennessee’s touchdowns and had five catches for 84 yards. Will Levis, who missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, was 18 of 23 for 175 yards but was sacked seven times.