Chiefs Fall to Broncos: A False Start Costs Kansas City a Winning Drive

A false start by Kansas City right tackle Jaylon Moore erased a winning touchdown and handed the Denver Broncos the division lead.

The Chiefs lost 28-24 to the Broncos on Monday night in Week 8. The decision came from Clete Blakeman's officiating crew during the final seconds of regulation. The play was a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line for Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to Rashee Rice that would have given the Chiefs a three-game lead over Denver in the AFC West. The flag negated the score. The Chiefs returned to the six-yard line for another try. Jonathon Cooper and Nick Bonitto collapsed the pocket from the edges. Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes to preserve the Denver win.

The Broncos now hold a half-game lead in the division. Denver is 6-2, while Kansas City is 5-2. The teams have split their season series. Broncos head coach Sean Payton credited the crowd noise for the win. He said the volume led to the false start. Payton reached his 200th career NFL victory with this result. Andy Reid, the Chiefs coach, argued the penalty should not have been flagged. He described the call as one man's opinion. Reid noted he saw Moore move his head but did not see the false start. Mahomes accepted the ruling but suggested such calls are rare in big moments. Cooper pointed to the infraction immediately after the snap.

The collapse began earlier in the fourth quarter with a different flag on Moore. The Chiefs led 24-13 with 13:36 remaining. They faced a third-and-6 from their own 36-yard line. Mahomes threw a quick pass to rookie Emmett Johnson. Cooper and Alex Singleton stopped Johnson short of the first down marker. A flag for illegal man downfield fell on Moore. After a discussion, the spotter placed the ball two yards shy of the first down. Payton declined the penalty, bringing up fourth down. The officials then re-spotted the ball less than a foot from the first down marker. This change caught everyone off guard, including the broadcast crew. Reid did not call a timeout. Matt Araiza punted the ball through the end zone, giving Denver possession at its 20-yard line.

Reid admitted the decision would have been different if he knew the spot was inches away. Mahomes said the team asked the officials to clarify the distance before deciding to punt. The Broncos took over at their 44-yard line with 2:31 left. They needed two plays to take the lead. Rookie Jonah Coleman caught a 51-yard pass and ran it in for a touchdown. That sequence gave Denver the lead with 35 seconds remaining. The Chiefs had a chance to salvage the game. Mahomes drove the team to the Denver one-yard line with 15 seconds left. The Broncos defense stopped the final play. Moore's false start on the previous possession helped seal the result. He said the tight margin and the specific situation made the loss hurt more than usual.

The Broncos have won 15 consecutive one-score games. Bo Nix leads the NFL with 15 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime over his first three seasons. The team has scored 70 points in fourth quarters this season compared to 26, 37, and 36 in the first three quarters. Kansas City's loss was their third in 83 games where they held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had previously signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad to address Harrison Butker's struggles from long range. Butker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt late in the game, his fifth miss from 50-plus yards this season.