KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bo Nix ran for a score before passing to RJ Harvey with 1:45 left in the game, and the Denver Broncos held on in the final seconds for a 20-13 victory over the beaten Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
Nix finished with 182 yards passing and the Broncos (13-3) bounced back from last week's disappointing loss to Jacksonville to take another big step toward the AFC West title and perhaps a No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye.
The Broncos could clinch the division on Saturday if the Chargers lose to Houston.
Third-string back Chris Oladokun and tight end Travis Kelce gave Kansas City a chance by driving quickly down the field after the Broncos took the lead. But a third-down pass to the Denver 26 was out of Kelce's reach, and Oladokun beat Marquise Brown into the end zone on fourth down in the final seconds.
The Chiefs (6-10) were missing Patrick Mahomes and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, both of whom tore ligaments in their knees in consecutive weeks and had to watch the game together from their hotel room. They were also missing Rushie Rice and several players on both sides of the ball who were crucial in their three straight Super Bowl appearances.
Oladokun completed a 66-yard pass. Kelce had five catches for 36 of those yards in what may be the last game the Pro Bowl tight end plays at Arrowhead Stadium – he plans to announce soon whether he's retiring from the sport.
The Broncos were nearly two-touchdown favorites, according to BetMGM, but the Chiefs may have been inspired by rumors of the Vikings, who earlier in the day knocked off the favored Lions behind their defense and their own third-string quarterback.
After abandoning a close 14-play drive that consumed more than half the first quarter and set the Broncos on a field goal, Kansas City allowed little in the first 30 minutes. Along the way, the defense placed its two best cornerbacks on injured reserve this week, managing to pick off Nix, creating a short field that Oladokun converted for his first career touchdown.
It also turned out to be Brashard Smith's first career touchdown.
The Broncos tried to respond with another 8-minute drive late in the half, but Courtland Sutton dropped a potential touchdown in the final seconds and Wil Lutz had to kick his second field goal to make the score 7-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Denver finally made one of its long, labor-intensive runs into the end zone. The Chiefs extended their lead to 10-6 when the Broncos drove 72 yards in nearly 10 minutes and Nix finished with nine yards for the score.
But the Kansas City offense's inability to do anything was its undoing.
The Chiefs managed just 16 yards on their first three possessions of the second half, giving the Broncos a chance. They drove 65 yards later in the fourth quarter, converting twice on third down, and then got a gift on fourth down when Chris Jones got inside the 10-yard line early, allowing Nix to find Harvey in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal for the final winning score.
Injuries
Broncos: Luke Wattenberg (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day.
Chiefs: WR Nikko Remigio (knee) was placed on IR. OL Jaylon Moore (knee) and DT Derrick Nnadi (illness) were inactive.
Next
Denver will close out the regular season next week against the Chargers.
Kansas City will finish its season next week in Las Vegas.
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