- Kansas City controls the game: The Chiefs earned a 31-10 victory while holding Denver to drives of 20 yards or fewer after its opening touchdown possession.
- Denver struggles to protect Bo Nix: The Broncos quarterback was sacked four times after ranking among the least-sacked quarterbacks of the previous two seasons.
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The Kansas City Chiefs blew out the Denver Broncos in Patrick Mahomes’ highly anticipated return, earning a decisive 31-10 victory on Monday Night Football.
The Chiefs were just as dominant as the final score indicates, as the Broncos couldn’t get anything going outside of their scripted touchdown drive to open the game. Their longest drive the rest of the way gained just 20 yards.
The Chiefs weren’t particularly dominant on offense either, but they had plenty of success on late downs, including two crucial fourth-down conversions that ultimately resulted in touchdown drives.
Passing
It wasn’t necessary this time, but it’s somewhat concerning that the Chiefs didn’t complete a single pass that traveled more than 8 yards in the air. Patrick Mahomes added some value as a scrambler, but it remains to be seen how the offense performs against an opponent that tackles well.
On the Broncos' side, it’s notable that Bo Nix, one of the least-sacked quarterbacks of the past two years, was sacked four times and functionally a fifth time, although another would-be sack-fumble was ruled an incomplete pass.
Receiving
Pat Bryant and Evan Engram found some success for the Broncos early, while Jaylen Waddle, in particular, couldn’t make much of an impact in his first game with Denver.
The Chiefs' aerial attack wasn’t firing on all cylinders either, with Travis Kelce emerging as the most productive member of the receiving corps thanks in large part to a big play after the catch. Mahomes and Kelce beat the blitz, something they have done so often together in the past.
Rushing
The Chiefs went with tighter formations than usual, invited heavy boxes and still found plenty of rushing success with Kenneth Walker, whose runs were not only explosive at times but also consistently successful.
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