Here are the heroes and zeros from the Denver Broncos’ 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.
Heroes
Javonte Williams: It’s been two seasons but Denver’s starting running back finally found the end zone. In the first quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson faked to his right before turning left and throwing a short pass to Williams, who powered past the goal line for a 4-yard touchdown catch. It was his first touchdown since December of 2021. Williams was a bright spot on offense for the second straight week. He rushed for 85 yards on 27 carries while catching three passes for 13 receiving yards.
Ja’Quan McMillian: The Broncos cornerback was active from the start. During Kansas City’s first drive of the game, he stopped running back Isiah Pacheco for a loss of four yards. With 10:09 to go in the second, he leaped in front of tight end Travis Kelce for an interception in the middle of the field. He even forced the Chiefs to settle for a field goal, tackling running back Jerick McKinnon for a 3-yard loss on third down.
Baron Browning: Denver’s third-year edge rusher has made his presence felt since returning from a torn meniscus. He recorded four pressures against the Packers last week. And on Sunday, he had a strip sack on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with under a minute left in the second quarter. The Broncos decided to bank on young edge rushers Browning, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. So far, the decision is paying off.
Zeros
L’Jarius Sneed: My goodness, Sneed got Mossed. On the Broncos’ third play of the third quarter, Wilson launched a 50/50 ball down the sideline and wide receiver Courtland Sutton made a 23-yard reception over Sneed’s head. Kansas City’s starting cornerback was called for defensive pass interference, but the Broncos declined the penalty.
Garett Bolles: Denver’s plans to march down the field to score in the closing seconds of the first half were quickly shut down. Bolles got bullied by Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis, who easily pushed through Denver’s left tackle to strip-sack Wilson. The Chiefs recovered and ended the second quarter with a 56-yard field goal attempt.
Skyy Moore: Mahomes couldn’t have thrown a better pass. Kansas City was facing fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter when the two-time MVP lofted a pass in the end zone to Moore, who let the ball slip through his hands, essentially ending the Chiefs’ chances of escaping with a win. On Kansas City’s next drive, Mahomes threw an interception to safety Justin Simmons and the celebration was on.
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