Winners and losers from the Broncos 24-9 victory over the Chiefs

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The streak is finally over.

The Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 24-9 and snapped their 16-game losing streak to them while also getting their first victory against Patrick Mahomes. This is arguably the Broncos' biggest win since their Super Bowl 50 win and now moves them to a 3-5 record and potentially back into the postseason conversation.

As per usual, each game has some winners and losers and this one thankfully, will have a bunch of winners. So, here are all the winners and losers from the Broncos' 24-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Winners

Head Coach Sean Payton

Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton faced a ton of criticism because of the Broncos' slow start, but that criticism has now quieted down. The Broncos have won two in a row and this victory over the Chiefs is the franchise’s biggest win since their Super Bowl 50 victory.

Sean Payton has this team fighting and being competitive, he has the offense being productive despite some inconsistent play, and the Broncos are now on a mini two-game winning streak heading into their bye and back into the postseason conversation.

On top of that, his additions to the team are starting to pay off. Vance Joseph has the defense playing well, Wil Lutz has been perfect since his opening game misses, the offensive line ranks in the top 10 and the team is starting to come together. Will it continue? We shall find out in two weeks.

Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph

Many, myself included, were ready to send Vance Joseph packing after the 70-point disaster game in Miami, However, since then, the Broncos defense has started to tighten up and has put together three strong games in a row and are coming off their best showing all season in this one. They held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 9 points and kept Patrick Mahomes out of the end zone.

On top of that, his defense sacked Mahomes three times, intercepted him twice and forced three fumbles throughout the game. His unit is the big reason why this upset happened and Joseph and the defense deserves credit for turning things around and getting them back playing like they should.

RB Javonte Williams

He’s baaaaack!

After a slow start to the season, Javonte Williams looked more like himself vs. the Packers and that continued in this one. In this game, he rushed the ball 27 times for 85 yards while also adding 3 catches for 13 yards and 1 touchdown.

He was a big part of the Broncos offense and if he can stay healthy and continue playing like this moving forward, he will continue to be a vital member of this offense. What he is doing coming off a serious knee injury is still mind-blowing and he should be a frontrunner for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

WR’s Jerry Jeudy/Courtland Sutton

The stat line for both players is not great, but both came up with touchdown receptions in this game. Jeudy caught his first touchdown of the season in this one which helped the Broncos get a two-score lead. Later in the game, the touchdown machine Courtland Sutton caught his 6th touchdown of the season which helped put the game away for the Broncos.

They may have also taken themselves off the trade block. When the Broncos were a 1 or 2 win team, talks of a fire sale were happening and Sutton and Jeudy were mentioned as trade candidates. Now with them at 3-5, winning two in a row, and potentially back in the postseason conversation, they may hold off from moving both players.

The trade deadline is on Tuesday at 4 p.m. so we will have our answer to this sooner rather than later.

EDGE Baron Browning

Last year, in his first year as an edge rusher, Baron Browning proved he is the Broncos best pass rusher on the team. Unfortunately, an offseason knee injury landed him on the PUP but he returned last week and made his presence known in this game.

He had two sacks and was consistently pressuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

If the Broncos want to continue having success, they will need Browning and the rest of the pass rushers to keep this sort of play up. Getting after the passer is something winning teams do often and hopefully, the Broncos can continue doing that moving forward.

CB Ja’Quan McMillian

The 2022 undrafted rookie corner has been standing out since training camp and this afternoon, he had a key play on defense. He intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter and helped keep Mahomes and the Chiefs offense make a comeback.

The team waived slot corner Essang Bassey to make room for McMillian and he has not disappointed. He was a ball-hawking corner in college and has flashed whenever he has been on the field for the Broncos during his short career. Hopefully, he can continue these flashes and have himself a solid season and career with the Broncos.

S Justin Simmons

It might be a coincidence, but the Broncos defense has turned the corner ever since Justin Simmons returned from injury. He has been an impact player throughout his career and has continued that this year.

In this game, he got his fifth career interception of Patrick Mahomes which sealed the game for the Broncos.

Like Jeudy and Sutton, Simmons found himself named as a potential trade candidate. Now with them winning two in a row and looking at a 3-5 record instead of a 1-7 or 2-6 record, they may decide to hold on to him with hopes he can fuel a second-half postseason run.

Losers

Draft Stock watchers

The Broncos ended a 16-game losing streak and finally defeated Patrick Mahomes so we do not have many “losers” but there are some.

With the Broncos now at 3-5 and playing fairly well, the hopes of getting a top pick and landing Caleb Williams or Drake Maye appear to be dead. So, if you were on that watch, this winning streak isn’t what you hoped for, but hopefully, they can sway you with a postseason run.

Trade Deadline Fire Sale

The Broncos were expected to be an active team during the deadline, but now with an upset over the Chiefs and now winning two in a row, that looks less likely.

It seems unlikely the team will now move Justin Simmons and probably will not move either receiver now. At three wins, the Broncos are in a group of teams in the AFC who can challenge for one of the final wild card spots. So, it’ll be interesting to see what they do in the coming hours and days.