KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs gave the Denver Broncos every opportunity to spoil their perfect start to the season.
The Broncos didn't take advantage of it.
The Chiefs blocked a 35-yard field-goal try by Denver kicker Wil Lutz as time expired on Sunday, preserving their 16-14 victory and making them just the fifth Super Bowl champion to start 9-0 the following season.
“When you're playing the champs,” Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach said afterward, “you've got to take it, because they always believe they can win at the end of the day. They just made one more play than us.”
Perhaps it is that unwavering sense of belief that is setting Kansas City apart from the rest of the league these days.
Patrick Mahome admittedly has failed to play his best. The Chiefs have lost their top two wide receivers to injury, along with their starting running back and one of their two best cornerbacks. They've bent and twisted and nearly broken too many time to count, yet they remain undefeated, with four of their nine wins secured on the final play of the game.
They have won an NFL-record nine straight when they've trailed at any point in the second half.
How else can that be explained but by a profound sense of self-belief?
“There's not much you can say. The game told the story and for it to end like that — I haven't been around a lot of those walk-off blocks,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after watching linebacker Leo Chenal get his hand on Lutz's would-be winner.
“I'm going to enjoy it,” Reid said, “but I'm also going to get to work fixing the other things that we need to fix before we go to Buffalo. You enjoy every one of these the best you possibly can because it's tough in this league. The parity is ridiculous.”
Ah, yes, Buffalo.
The Chiefs already have survived a schedule that included an AFC championship rematch with Baltimore, a showdown with Cincinnati and a Super Bowl rematch with San Francisco. And they still have back-to-back trips to Pittsburgh and Houston. But their game against the Bills on the road Sunday may be their biggest obstacle all season.
The Chiefs have the only perfect record in the NFL. The Bills (8-2) are among a group of five with one or two losses.
“Buffalo’s playing great football,” Mahomes said. “They’ve played great football for a while now and we understand what it takes to go into an environment like that, and you have to give it everything you have in order to get a win. We know they’ll be fiery and they’re going to be trying to beat us, so we’re going to play better and execute at a higher level in order to win.”
What’s working
The Chiefs' passing game has picked up ever since DeAndre Hopkins arrived in a trade with Tennessee about three weeks ago. The three-time All-Pro had four catches for 56 yards against Denver, giving him 12 catches in his last two games. The attention he demands has opened up others, including Travis Kelce, who had eight catches for 64 yards and a score on Sunday.
What needs help
The Chiefs knew field position would be important against Denver, which boasts one of the NFL's best defenses. But new punter Matt Araiza boomed two of his four kicks into the end zone, giving the Broncos too much free yardage.
Stock up
Nazeeh Johnson had another strong performance as the Chiefs try to absorb the loss of cornerback Jaylen Watson to a broken ankle. Johnson led them in tackles with 10 and brought down Denver quarterback Bo Nix on a designed blitz.
Stock down
Xavier Worthy continues to hit what some coaches call the rookie wall. The first-round draft pick got off to a brilliant start but has struggled to produce for several weeks. He was targeted four times Sunday with one catch for 11 yards — though to be fair, he also got open deep down the sideline and Mahomes' pass tailed out of bounds on him.
Injuries
LT Wanya Morris missed about two quarters with a knee injury but returned to the game. His importance was underscored when rookie backup Kingsley Suamataia struggled mightily in his place.
Key number
76 — That's the number of touchdown catches for Kelce, who tied Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record on Sunday.
Next steps
The Chiefs travel to Buffalo. The burgeoning rivals have split their last six games, but Kansas City has won those that mattered: two matchups in the divisional round of the playoffs and another in the AFC championship game.
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AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
