DENVER (AP) — Malcolm Roach sacked Patrick Mahomes on fourth-and-goal on the final play Sunday, preserving Denver's come-from-behind 28-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs that vaulted Broncos into first place in the AFC West.
The Broncos (6-2) trailed 24-13 in the third quarter, but Bo Nix threw a 2-yard TD pass to tight end Nate Adkins and found Jaylen Waddle for the 2-point conversion to pull Denver to 24-21.
After Kansas City's scuffling kicker Harrison Butker missed wide right on a 54-yard field goal attempt in a steady rain — one play after Alex Singleton sacked Mahomes for a 6-yard loss — the Broncos needed just two plays and 35 seconds to take the lead.
Nix hit rookie running back Jonah Coleman for a 51-yard gain and Coleman scored from the 5 yards out on the next snap, putting Denver ahead 28-24 but leaving Mahomes 1 minutes, 56 seconds.
A 32-yard catch by Travis Kelce and several big runs by Kenneth Walker III helped the Chiefs (5-2) get inside the Denver 5-yard line with less than a minute remaining.
Walker's 3-yard run on first-and-goal put the ball at the 1. Mahomes threw incomplete on second down, Walker was stuffed on third-and-goal and on fourth down, Mahomes was sacked.
The Broncos went three-and-out on all three of their drives in the third quarter, but Nix directed touchdown drives on both of Denver's fourth-quarter possessions.
Nix finished 20 of 32 for 222 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Mahomes was 30 of 41 for 321 yards, three TDs and no interceptions after struggling last week in a loss to Seattle, but the Chiefs dropped their second straight.
Walker ran for 69 yards on 21 carries.
Mahomes had been held without a touchdown pass in consecutive games for the first time in his career, but he found Rashee Rice from 11 yards out in the first quarter, rookie running back Emmett Johnson for a 73-yard TD in the second quarter and tight end Noah Gray for a 4-yard score in the third quarter as Kansas City built a 24-13 lead.
Mahomes' 73-yard touchdown throw to Johnson gave the Chiefs a 14-6 lead. Under pressure, Mahomes lobbed the ball over the defense and Johnson caught it shy of his own 40-yard line, then raced untouched the rest of the way.
Johnson's 38-yard catch-and-run set up Butker's 45-yard field goal just before halftime that gave Kansas City a 17-13 lead at the break.
In between, Nix threw a touchdown pass to Waddle on fourth-and-goal with the ball about 2 feet away from the goal line.
Rice returned from a two-game absence with a pulled right hamstring and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to put Kansas City ahead 7-3.
Wil Lutz kicked field goals of 39 and 45 yards, the latter of which came after Denver failed to convert a third-and-3 play where the Broncos lined up with an empty backfield despite having gained 5 1/2 yards per rush on that drive.
Injuries
Chiefs: DL Peter Woods (neck) got hurt in the first quarter. CBs L'Jarius Sneed (knee) and Mansoor Delane (shoulder) were out, leaving Kristian Fulton and Nohl Williams as the starters.
Broncos: CB Kris Abrams-Draine (ankle) left in the second quarter and S Brandon Jones (hamstring) was ruled out at halftime. Denver was without RB RJ Harvey, who was placed on short-term IR after hurting a knee in Thursday's practice.
Up next
Chiefs: Host the New York Jets next Sunday.
Broncos: Visit the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
