Denver last won a road game in KC back in 2015, when Peyton Manning was still playing quarterback for the squad rather than serving as the spokesperson for every product for sale in America (who knew he loved Hawaiian rolls so much?); current starter Bo Nix couldn't legally drive a car by himself in his native Alabama, since he was only fifteen.
This streak would have been over had kicker Wil Lutz been able to boot an exceedingly make-able 35-yarder over the cross bar as time expired. Instead, the Broncos' offensive line was somehow transformed into a group of ushers who politely invited their opposite numbers into the Denver backfield, thereby allowing them to block an attempt that Lutz aimed low...to make sure they couldn't miss it.
Afterward, citizens of Broncos Country collectively lost their shit. The better part of a day later, sports-related social media still smells like a sewer as a result. And now, post-season dreams that bloomed when head coach Sean Payton's underlings were 5-3 and remained alive even after the previous Sunday's ass-kicking by the Baltimore Ravens are once again in danger of becoming unfulfilled fantasies.
Given these circumstances, it may difficult for casual fans to see all the positives that preceded Lutz's professional nadir. But there were plenty of them.
Exhibit A: the performance of the Denver defense, whose level of aggression actually made Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champ who remains the most consistent winner in the game, look ordinary for much of the competition. The Broncos recorded four sacks, with Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Franklin-Myers and Jonathan Cooper each earning a credit for planting Pat into the turf. Denver also notched nine quarterback pressures — numbers that only hint at the D's level of domination.
Better yet, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's crew only allowed a single touchdown — a pass to tight end Travis Kelce, who needed to score in order to give the folks at CBS a chance to show his girlfriend Taylor Swift celebrating afterward. On three other occasions, Denver held the Chiefs to field goals by mental Neanderthal Harrison Butker, with the last of them giving Kansas City just a two-point advantage with more than five minutes left to play.
At that point, Nix had a chance to justify all the optimism that his fan base of Bo-Ners have expressed since Payton chose him as field general — and he proved equal to the moment. Nix had an impressive first half thanks to a pair of touchdown hurls and a degree of accuracy that shows how much he's grown since the beginning of the 2024-2025 campaign; not every toss resulted in a completion, but the overwhelming majority went in the general direction he intended. And if his production waned dramatically in the third quarter and much of the fourth, he was smart and sharp throughout the final drive, which ate up all but one second of the clock and set up Lutz in perfect position.
The lack of a happy ending can be attributed to a complete choke by Denver's special teams unit as a whole. Loads of loyalists complained that the Chiefs should have been called for one or more holding penalties on the play, but that's unrealistic. Referees swallow their whistles under such scenarios unless the fouls are so obvious and egregious that they know they'll have to answer questions about them for weeks to come — and they weren't. Simply put, the collapse belonged to the Broncos, period.
Two weeks back, when playoffs fever was at its height, we suggested that Denver needed to win at least one of its next three matchups to keep this prospect realistic. Losing the first two, albeit in very different ways, exponentially increases the pressure on next week's face-off at home against the Atlanta Falcons. And, like Baltimore, Atlanta will be coming into the game angry after falling to a far-inferior challenger (Cleveland in the Ravens' case, the New Orleans Saints in the Falcons').
The Atlanta contest still isn't a must-win — not quite. But should its ending be anything like the one that just happened in Kansas City, Mile High City dwellers will be even more livid than they already are.
Continue for a sampling of ire on X, capped by a post in which an author kindly takes the blame for the entire disaster.
Number 20:
Forsyth fell asleep, and got COMPLETELY blown up.
— John (@John6447571229) November 10, 2024
But the ONE thing a kicker needs to do on a short fg, is get the ball up quickly.
Chenal got about 3yds of penetration, and was laid out w/his hand about 6' off the ground, when the ball hit it.
So in 15', Lutz got it up 6'.
Number 19:
Lutz it’s paid not to score field goals. pic.twitter.com/5RfpKqizlP
— r (@gobimoz_) November 10, 2024
Number 18:
When we sent nix to the hash mark they knew lutz was going to drive one left. Overloaded the left side. Nobody called a time out. Recipe for disaster.
— CoinSpectrum (@CoinSpectrum) November 10, 2024
Number 17:
Blatant sell job. Lutz is terrible.
— Darrick Ashley (@sheriffwoody_94) November 10, 2024
Number 16:
Lutz had one job and failed miserably
— ESDEJES (@EsDeJes) November 10, 2024
Number 15:
TRENDING: #Broncos fans are angry that the referees didn’t let Will Lutz make a field goal today.
— Last Man Up (@15thManMuse) November 10, 2024
https://t.co/9IVpMFQ1AD
Number 14:
Lutz is slow as F in his stride to the ball and too far back. Broncos need a new kicker.
— LagoDiGarda (@FinnTed3779) November 10, 2024
Number 13:
I hate football i hate the mahomes bloodline i hate the chiefs i hate the state they live in i hate Taylor swifts because of the her taste in men I hate kickers i hate my taste in football teams i hate peyton manning for making me a Denver broncos fan i hate William Lutz DE K
— Court (@CosPlsWin) November 10, 2024
Number 12:
Number 11:Dave Logan’s call of the gut wrenching blocked FG
— Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) November 11, 2024
But hear me out, this will be the reason this team makes the playoffs pic.twitter.com/EMWK01xg3K
Broncos looked very sharp, no wonder they have the 6th best defense in the league rn… it’s always a battle every game between the two and y’all had us fr… blocked kick was unlucky for Lutz
— LJ Knight (@LaytonJennings1) November 10, 2024
Number 10:
If Lutz misses it, it’s luck. Blocking it is playing until the end.
— Jason (@XUser7272) November 10, 2024
Number 9:
Will Lutz should be cut tomorrow, that was a bone headed mistake by him for kicking the ball so low. #BroncosCountry #Broncos
— عاطف داؤد (@aTiFdAwOoD) November 10, 2024
Number 8:
Right before this kick I said that if god wanted to induce any karma on me, he would make Will Lutz miss this. I am being tested by the universe and punished for all the bad things I’ve done recently. Must stay composed in the face of adversity. Sorry broncos country. https://t.co/gYUnPU5WfO
— angad (@thatsAngad) November 10, 2024
Number 7:
If I was a #Broncos player, I’d beat the snot out of #Lutz on the flight home.
— Just Jack (@JackOfAllTalent) November 10, 2024
Number 6:
To be honest, I really thought Lutz was gonna miss that kick.
— M.J Vera (@mj33jm) November 10, 2024
Never in my mind did I think it would get blocked by about 7 Chiefs.#BroncosCountry #Broncos
Number 5:
Broncos try not to ruin my sunday challenge. Will Lutz, count your fucking days bro
— Alyssa (@howyouget727) November 10, 2024
Number 4:
The #Broncos o-line lets everyone through and Lutz kicks a chip shot FG into the guy’s chest. Can’t make this shit up!
— Brian Fantana (@BrianFantanaCH4) November 10, 2024
How much did Lutz get paid for that?#BroncosCountry #ChiefsKingdom
Number 3:
That wasn’t on Lutz the entire line got mowed down
— Its Bo Time! (@BroncosNewEra) November 10, 2024
Number 2:
Bo nix and Sean Payton to Wil Lutz. Broncos shit the bed against chiefs pic.twitter.com/2z1FBTdUGz
— shotime (@thedudesuave116) November 10, 2024
Number 1:
the broncos were supposed to do it… wil lutz i will get you and sean payton fired..
— emma (@em11xd) November 10, 2024