The Kansas City Chiefs held on to defeat the Denver Broncos, 34-28, on Sunday to tally their 10th win of the season.
Here are some quick notes and facts about the game.
1. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was responsible for some truly remarkable plays.
It was a mixed bag on Sunday for Mahomes, who threw three interceptions for just the third time in his brilliant career, but he was also responsible for some other-worldly plays as usual.
The first was a no-look, underhand toss to tailback Jerick McKinnon, who hauled in the reception and broke free for a 56-yard touchdown. Mahomes also connected with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster a bit later on a tremendous scramble and throw for a 4-yard score.
It all helped the Mahomes top 4,000 passing yards for the season on Sunday, securing his fourth-career season with 4,000+ passing yards and 30+ passing touchdowns. That tally is the most of any quarterback since 2018, and Mahomes is one of only two players to do so three or more times.
Additionally, prior to Monday Night Football, Mahomes still leads the NFL in passing yards (4,160) and passing touchdowns (33). He's now 25-3 in his career against AFC West opponents, including a 15-0 mark in road divisional games.
2. Tight end Travis Kelce hit a handful of major milestones on Sunday.
Kelce made a bunch of history on Sunday, catching four passes for 71 yards while joining some elite company in the process. First, he secured his seventh-consecutive 1,000-yard season on Sunday, becoming just the 11th player in NFL history to ever compile such a streak. His seven 1,000-yard campaigns – regardless of consecutive order – are by far the most by a tight end in league history.
The veteran pass-catcher also topped 10,000 receiving yards for his career on Sunday, joining Tony Gonzalez (15,127 yards), Jason Witten (13,046 yards), Antonio Gates (11,841 yards) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060 yards) as the only tight ends in league history to hit that mark. Kelce also did so in just 140 games, becoming the fastest player to join that elite group of tight ends.
3. Tailback Jerick McKinnon had a game to remember.
McKinnon compiled one of the best games of his career on Sunday, tallying 134 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches. It was his highest regular-season total output as a member of the Chiefs, and his best regular-season game since the 2017 season. Additionally, his 112 receiving yards (on 7 receptions) were the second-most of his career, trailing only a 114-yard performance in 2017.
McKinnon is one of only three running backs this season to record 130+ scrimmage yards and 2+ receiving touchdowns, joining the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Pollard and the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara.
4. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in his third touchdown of the season.
Smith-Schuster caught nine passes for 74 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, pushing his season-total to 61 receptions for 762 yards. Smith-Schuster trails only Travis Kelce in both categories for the team lead. The veteran receiver's nine grabs were his second-most of the season, checking in behind only his 10 catches against Tennessee in Week 9.
He is one of three players (the others being Kelce and wide receiver Marquez-Valdes Scantling) to each have 600+ receiving yards on the season. The Chiefs are one of just three teams to feature three or more players who each have 600+ receiving yards, joining the Bengals and Chargers.
5. Linebacker Willie Gay found the end zone on a 47-yard pick-six.
Gay contributed to the Chiefs' early scoring barrage with a 47-yard pick-six midway through the second quarter. It was the third interception of Gay's young career and his first touchdown, marking the Chiefs' first pick-six since Week 2.
Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed also tallied an interception in the game, picking off Broncos' quarterback Brett Rypien late in the fourth quarter. It was Sneed's second interception of the year.
6. Defensive lineman Chris Jones led a six-sack effort by the Chiefs' defense.
Jones was one of six players to get to the quarterback on Sunday, joining safety Juan Thornhill, linebacker Darius Harris, defensive end George Karlaftis, defensive end Mike Danna, defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. The Chiefs' six total sacks as a team marked a season-best.
Jones, specifically, now has 11 sacks on the year, which ranks sixth in the NFL.
7. Punter Tommy Townsend had a sneaky great game.
Nobody wants to punt, but it's going to happen from time to time, and the best teams employ punters who can serve as weapons that flip the field. Townsend has certainly been that for Kansas City this season, and he continued his stellar year on Sunday with three punts that traveled an average of 66.3 yards. His first punt, in particular, went 76 yards, which matches the second-longest punt by any player in a game this season.
Townsend's average distance of 52.2 yards this year ranks second among all qualified punters.
8. The win marked the Chiefs' 14th consecutive victory over Denver.
The Chiefs have now won 14-straight games over Denver, which is the longest winning streak over one opponent in team history and the fifth-longest in league history. Kansas City hasn't lost to Denver since 2015, marking a truly remarkable streak of success than spans numerous players and even two quarterbacks.
In fact, Travis Kelce and longsnapper James Winchester are the only current players who were on the team when the streak began in Week 10 of the 2015 season.
9. The Chiefs continued their dominance over the AFC West.
Kansas City is now 24-4 against divisional opponents since 2018, which is the best mark for any team against their own division in that span.
The Chiefs, who haven't lost a road divisional game since Week 7 of the 2017 season, are now 22-1 in their last 23 road AFC West contests.
10. Kansas City recorded yet another 10-win season.
It all helped the Chiefs tally an eighth-consecutive season with double-digit victories under Coach Reid, who matched George Seifert for the second-longest streak of 10-win seasons by a head coach in NFL history. Only the Patriots' Bill Belichick, who recorded 17 straight from 2003 to 2019, owns a longer streak.
The Chiefs will now prepare for yet another road trip – their third in a row – with a matchup against the Houston Texans on deck.
