By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Pro Football Writer

DENVER

The Denver Broncos’ continuous losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes’ domination over them since his first NFL start in 2017, were never on the radar for Justin Simmons.

Simmons will not need to acknowledge or disregard either issue any longer, as the Broncos dominated the defending Super Bowl champions 24-9 on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon.

“I’m thrilled to have won,” said Simmons following the Broncos’ (3-5) victory over the Chiefs (6-2), finally breaking their 16-game losing streak against the team. Denver dominated in all areas, handing Kansas City their first loss to the Broncos since Week 2 of the 2015 season.

Mahomes suffered his initial defeat against Denver, following a streak of 12 victories. This was also the first time he was defeated on the road in the AFC West, after achieving 16 consecutive wins in divisional games outside of Arrowhead Stadium.

He stated that the Broncos had an excellent strategy and carried it out effectively.

“We were unable to successfully carry out or earn any points,” he stated.

There were no touchdowns scored.

Mahomes suffered from flu-like symptoms, likely contracting a stomach bug from his wife and two young children, who also fell ill earlier in the week.

Mahomes stated that he began to feel unwell last night. He had a mediocre performance with a passer rating of 59.2, three sacks, and two interceptions.

The Broncos defeated the Chiefs for the first time in 2,965 days, dominating in every aspect of the game. As they left the field, Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” played in Empower Field.

Unfortunately, Swift was not present to see Travis Kelce make six receptions for a total of 58 yards. It was a disastrous day for the rest of the Chiefs, who only managed to score three field goals. They also had a rough time in the red zone, going 0 for 3, and committed four turnovers on offense. To make matters worse, they also turned the ball over on downs and had a muffed punt that was recovered by Denver.

Simmons recovered a fumble and picked off Mahomes for the sixth time in his career. Those takeaways led to 10 points as the Broncos posted back-to-back wins for the first time in over a year.

Russell Wilson had a small number of 19 throws, but three of his twelve completions resulted in touchdowns. These were caught by receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, as well as running back Javonte Williams. Williams also had 27 carries for 85 yards and made three catches for 13 yards.

Williams scored a touchdown for the first time since coming back from a severe knee injury he sustained in the initial month of the 2022 season.

Wilson stated that the Broncos, who typically only run the ball an average of 22 times per game, were able to control the clock and tempo by running the ball 40 times for 153 yards. This demonstrates our belief in ourselves and our abilities.

The Denver team maintained their 14-9 lead at halftime by effectively managing the time and preventing Mahomes and Kelce from playing in the second half. Kansas City only had three opportunities to possess the ball in the second half before taking one final snap at the end, which had no impact on the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos gained a significant advantage when newcomer Drew Sanders retrieved a fumbled punt by Mecole Hardman at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line. Just two plays later, Wilson connected with Sutton in the left corner, resulting in a score of 21-9. This made the Broncos the first team to score more than 20 points against the Chiefs this season.

Mahomes led the Chiefs to the Denver 27, but Skyy Moore was unable to catch a precisely thrown pass in the end zone on fourth down with 7:35 remaining.

In the first half, Simmons recovered a fumble and later intercepted Mahomes with approximately 5 minutes left. The Broncos then scored a field goal in the last 31 seconds.

Even though the Chiefs had a 16-game winning streak against Denver, which is the third longest in NFL history against one opponent, they were never behind by more than 10 points. However, in their latest game, they started off with a deficit of 14-3 and were unable to recover.

During the first half, Mahomes was intercepted by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian and also had a strip-sack by Baron Browning, with Jonathon Cooper recovering the fumble.

According to Browning, who recorded three QB hits and two sacks, it is difficult to bring down quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He is elusive and has the ability to quickly change direction and evade defenders. Despite thinking he had a sure tackle early in the game, Mahomes was able to evade Browning’s hit. Browning sees Mahomes as a skilled player and takes pride in being able to successfully contain him.

RED-ZONE RED-FACED

Three weeks prior to this game at Arrowhead, the Chiefs had a low success rate of 1 out of 5 in the red zone, but they were still able to secure a 19-8 victory over the Broncos. However, in their most recent game on Sunday, they were unable to convert any of their 3 attempts within Denver’s 20-yard line.

Mahomes stated that they did not spend much time down there today. He also mentioned that he was unable to make a touchdown throw for the first time since December 5, 2021, during their 22-9 victory against Denver.

Mahomes expressed disappointment after experiencing his first defeat in six visits to Denver. He acknowledged the electric atmosphere and enjoyment he usually feels while playing there, as the fans are passionate and knowledgeable about the game. However, he accepted the loss and praised the opposing team for their superior performance.

INJURIES

In the second half, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay sustained an injury to his tailbone.

UP NEXT

The Chiefs will be playing against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany on November 5th.

The Broncos will have a week off before returning to play against Buffalo on November 13th.

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NFL news from the Associated Press: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Source: wralsportsfan.com