Winners and losers from the Broncos 19-8 loss to the Chiefs

The game ended up being closer than some predicted but the end result was still the same as the Broncos were defeated by the score of 19-8 and fell to a 1-5 record. With this win, the Chiefs extend their winning streak to 16 games over the Broncos and quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains undefeated against them during his career thus far.

As for the winners and losers, it is tough to find some winners for the Broncos. The offense struggled all game and while the defense played better, sloppy play by the Chiefs offense kept this game closer than it probably should have been. Still, there are still a few winners for the Broncos with plenty of losers too.

Here are your winners and losers from the Denver Broncos' 19-8 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Winners

WR Courtland Sutton

While Sutton’s stat line does not look wonderful, he made the play of the game for the Broncos' offense in the fourth quarter of this game. He made an incredible one-handed circus catch to get the Broncos on the board and avoid a shutout.

He finished the night with just 4 catches for 46 yards, but this touchdown was the highlight of the game for the Broncos. Sutton did have a few drops in this one, so his game was far from perfect, but with very little to be excited about after this game, this makes the cut.

Red zone defense

Entering this game, everyone thought the Broncos defense would get torched in this one, but that did not happen. Yes, the Chiefs moved the ball up and down the field, but their mistakes, some sloppy football, and the Broncos red zone defense held them to just 19 points.

This Chiefs offense lacks playmakers outside of Travis Kelce and we saw that be the case tonight with Mahomes struggling to find open receivers. Still, we need to give the Broncos' defense their props as they limited the Chiefs to just one touchdown in this one.

Broncos rushing game

The Broncos running game was working in this one but they continued to get away from it. As a team, they carried the ball 23 times for 115 yards. They averaged a healthy five yards per carry and were doing it at will against this Chiefs defense.

Leading the way was Javonte Williams who had his best game of the season. He had 10 carries for 52 yards while rookie Jaleel McLaughlin added 7 carries for 30 yards. Fullback Mike Burton had two carries for 2 yards while quarterback Russell Wilson carried the ball four times for 31 yards.

The Broncos probably should have run the ball more in this one.

Patrick Surtain’s effort

Surtain stood out on a play that ended up not counting. Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon was taking the ball down the field with what looked to be a potential touchdown by the Chiefs offense. However, Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II did not give up on the play and zoomed in for the tackle and tried to strip the ball out while attempting the tackle.

An illegal blindside block wiped this play out, but Surtain’s effort cannot be ignored. With the effort level of some players being questioned in recent weeks, it’s nice to see your star player showcasing this sort of effort.

Again, it’s a low bar, but this game did not provide many “winners”.

Those hoping for a fire sale

If you’re hoping for a fire sale in the coming weeks, you are not upset about this outcome. The Broncos have fallen to 1-5, looking at a top draft pick, and have been engaging in trade talks already per reports. So, we could see players like Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Frank Clark, Justin Simmons, and others dealt in the coming days and weeks.

Losers

Quarterback Russell Wilson

This was Russell Wilson’s worst game of the season. He finished the night with just 95 yards passing, 1 touchdown, and 2 costly interceptions. Sure, the offensive line wasn’t great, and receivers weren’t getting open, but this looked a lot like 2022 Russell Wilson.

This was one of the best defenses this offense has played all season and they were on the road but still, a disappointing effort.

Right Tackle Mike McGlinchey

The Broncos gave McGlinchey a huge contract this offseason and so far, it looks like another expensive bad deal by them. He is getting cooked off the edge and constantly giving up pressure.

Despite draft picks and big-money deals being given out, the Broncos' struggles at right tackle continue.

Cornerback Damarri Mathis

He had another rough one in this game. He was constantly picked on as he had been all throughout the season and gave up some big plays. However, the most curious moment for him came during a Patrick Mahomes scramble. Instead of trying to tackle Mahomes he apparently decided to throw a block instead.

I don’t know what he was thinking, but it doesn’t look wonderful for the Broncos second-year cornerback.

Wide Receiver Jerry Jeudy

Before the game even started, Jeudy got into a war of words with former receiver and now NFL Network analyst Steve Smith Sr. Smith, who is known to be a talker, was going to apologize to Jeudy for the comments he made to him in the past, but Jeudy shouted back at him and wanted nothing to do with him.

Smith then went on to national television and absolutely ripped the Broncos' former first-round pick who is once again in the midst of trade talks.

I personally, do not have any issues with how Jeudy handled the situation, but after this, he went out and posted a 3 catch for 14 yards stat line. Cannot talk shit like that before the game and then post a lousy stat line in a losing effort like that. This is not a great look for Jeudy but it sounds like he’ll be a former member of the Broncos sooner rather than later.

Wide Receiver Marvin Mims Jr.

The explosive rookie wide receiver has been the most impactful playmaker on the offensive side of the ball this season at times but in this one, he was a non-factor. I have not seen how many snaps he played but it was not much, I do not remember him being targeted and he was held without a catch in an 8-point effort by the offense.

After a game where he had a costly fumble during a punt return, maybe he has fallen in the coach's dog house a little bit. However, with the season going as it is and with Sutton and Jeudy both on the block, we should see a lot more of the rookie receiver moving forward.