Roach sack ends Chiefs' lead, sends Broncos to top of AFC West

Malcolm Roach dropped Patrick Mahomes on the final play of Sunday's game to secure a 28-24 victory for the Denver Broncos. The sack on fourth-and-goal held the Kansas City Chiefs out of the end zone and gave Denver the lead in the AFC West. The Broncos improved to a 6-2 record, while the Chiefs fell to 5-2 after their second consecutive loss.

Kansas City built a 24-13 lead in the third quarter with the help of steady rain. Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdown passes before the break. He connected with Rashee Rice from 11 yards out in the first quarter to make the score 7-3. Rice returned from a two-game absence with a pulled right hamstring for that catch.

Mahomes extended the lead to 14-6 in the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown throw to rookie running back Emmett Johnson. Mahomes threw the ball over the defense under pressure, and Johnson caught the pass near his own 40-yard line. He raced the rest of the way without being tackled.

Johnson also made a 38-yard catch-and-run that set up Harrison Butker's 45-yard field goal. That kick gave the Chiefs a 17-13 lead at halftime. Bo Nix had thrown a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle earlier in the half to cut the deficit. Waddle caught the ball on a fourth-down play with the football about two feet from the goal line.

The Broncos went three-and-out on all three of their drives in the third quarter. Mahomes continued his scoring streak by throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Noah Gray. That score extended the Kansas City lead to 24-13. Wil Lutz had kicked field goals of 39 and 45 yards for Denver during the game.

The turning point came after Alex Singleton sacked Mahomes for a 6-yard loss. On the next play, Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt wide right. The Broncos needed only two plays and 35 seconds to take the lead. Bo Nix hit rookie running back Jonah Coleman for a 51-yard gain.

Coleman scored from the 5-yard line on the following snap to put Denver ahead 28-24. Bo Nix then completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Adkins to pull Denver within 24-21 earlier in the drive sequence. Nix found Jaylen Waddle for the 2-point conversion that tied the game at 24-24 before Coleman's score.

The Chiefs drove back into scoring range with less than a minute remaining. Travis Kelce caught a 32-yard pass, and Kenneth Walker III made several long runs to reach the Denver 5-yard line. Walker ran for 69 yards on 21 carries in the game. He put the ball at the 1-yard line with a 3-yard run on first-and-goal.

Mahomes threw an incomplete pass on second down. Walker was stuffed on third-and-goal. On fourth down, Mahomes was sacked by Malcolm Roach, ending the game. Mahomes finished 30 of 41 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Nix was 20 of 32 for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

The Chiefs lost starting cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed and Mansoor Delane to knee and shoulder injuries, respectively. Denver lost cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine in the second quarter with an ankle injury. The Broncos will visit the Carolina Panthers next Sunday, while the Chiefs host the New York Jets.