Broncos Beat Chiefs 28-24 on a Final Play Goal Line Stand to Take AFC West Lead

The Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in Week 8 of the NFL season. Denver trailed 24-13 after three quarters, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, and stopped Kansas City at the goal line on the final play of the game. The win moved Denver to 6-2 and into first place in the AFC West, ahead of Kansas City at 5-2.

Kansas City builds the lead

Denver opened the scoring with a Wil Lutz field goal, but Patrick Mahomes answered with a touchdown pass to Rashee Rice for a 7-3 Kansas City lead. The second quarter went back and forth. Mahomes found running back Emmett Johnson for a long touchdown, Lutz kicked another field goal, and Bo Nix threw a short touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle on fourth down. Harrison Butker added a field goal, and Kansas City led 17-13 at halftime.

Johnson hurt Denver all game in the passing game. He caught five passes for 128 yards and the touchdown. Mahomes completed 30 of 41 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

In the third quarter, Mahomes threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Noah Gray that pushed the lead to 24-13. Denver's offense, meanwhile, opened the second half with three straight three-and-outs, and the home crowd booed the team off the field, theScore reported.

Fifteen points in the fourth quarter

Denver finally moved the ball on an 80-yard drive. On fourth and goal from the 2-yard line, Nix threw a touchdown pass to tight end Nate Adkins with 8:55 left in the fourth quarter. Nix then found Waddle for the two-point conversion, and the Chiefs lead was down to 24-21.

Denver's defense forced a stop, but Harrison Butker had a chance to stretch the lead. His 54-yard field goal attempt missed, and Denver took over near midfield with 2:32 left, down by three.

On the first play, Nix threw a short pass to running back Jonah Coleman, who ran 52 yards down to the 4-yard line. Coleman scored on a run on the next play, just after the two-minute warning, and Denver led 28-24, its first lead since the first quarter. Coleman finished with 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and 63 receiving yards on four catches. Nix completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.

The stand at the goal line

Kansas City still had time, and Emmett Johnson returned the kickoff 45 yards to the Chiefs 44-yard line. Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for 32 yards to the Denver 18, and a short run by Kenneth Walker put the Chiefs at the 1-yard line with the clock running under 15 seconds, Mile High Report and FOX Sports reported.

Denver held. A Mahomes pass fell incomplete, Walker was stopped for no gain, and a false start penalty pushed Kansas City back to fourth and 6. On the final play, Mahomes was sacked and threw the ball into the air as he went down. A Chiefs lineman caught it, which is not legal, and Denver took over on downs to end the game.

Denver won a game it trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter, with its defense on the field for the last play. The Broncos now hold first place in the AFC West on their own.