Could the Chiefs miss the playoffs? What went wrong in Week 11 - ESPN

When Broncos kicker Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard field goal to win the game against the Chiefs on Sunday, it must have felt like déjà vu for Denver. Almost exactly one year ago, Lutz was lining up for a 35-yard field goal to beat these same Chiefs. Like this one, that kick came after an impressive drive by young quarterback Bo Nix, who had run a mistake-free offense and gotten his team in position for a signature win. Broncos fans were desperate to get one over on their rivals, wanting the sort of victory that propels a franchise forward. It's hard to believe you'll beat the Chiefs until you actually beat the Chiefs.

What happened next is most, if not all, of the difference between the 2024 Chiefs and the 2025 Chiefs. Last season's team managed to save itself and emerge with a 19-17 victory when Leo Chenal blocked Lutz's kick. Kansas City went an NFL-record 10-0 in games decided by seven or fewer points. This year's team… has not done well in one-score games. After Lutz put his kick through the uprights for a 22-19 Denver win, the Chiefs fell to 0-5 in one-score matchups in 2025.

This was supposed to be the moment when the Chiefs righted the ship. Losing to the Bills in Week 9 was one thing, but Kansas City was now fresh off a bye, which famously affords coach Andy Reid time to build unstoppable game plans. The Broncos were without their best player in star cornerback Pat Surtain II, and Nix was coming off a narrow victory over the Raiders in which he was booed by his own fans. Denver had beaten the Chiefs' backups in Week 18 last season, but this was different; sitting in eighth place in the AFC, the Chiefs were set to work their way back up to the top of the title picture.

And then they weren't. The Chiefs' streak