Written by: Noah Palmer

Former Super Bowl LVII champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, lost to the Denver Broncos, 24-9 on Sunday, October 29th, 2023 at Empower Field. Closing the 8-year losing streak to the Chiefs, the Broncos, placing only 26th in the League, as of October 2023, finally take the win. Broncos fans were looking forward to this game, with the stadium at Empower Field at full capacity with all of the tickets sold. However, with the most recent Super Bowl win, it seems almost unusual for a team to lose to a low-placing team in the League.

Quarterback for the Broncos, Russell Wilson, only threw 19 times; however, three of his dozen completed throws were caught in the end zone. One of those throws went to Javonte Williams, running back. Javonte ran 27 times throughout the duration of the game for 85 yards, plus an additional three passes for 13 yards. A number of plays lead to Denver holding up at halftime with a 14-9 lead. Eventually, the lead only increased. The Chiefs never trailed by more than 10 points in all of their 16 consecutive triumphs over Denver. Mahomes, who had flu-like symptoms, managed to throw two interceptions and fumble once, turning over the ball back to Denver. With these poor health conditions, Mahomes decided to still play in the game. However, it is clear that this was counterproductive toward his intentions, and delivered the Broncos a victory they haven’t seen from the chiefs in years.

However, this game was not the only time the Broncos have played the Chiefs this season. In October, the Broncos lost to the Chiefs 8-19. The Broncos have a history of being on the lower-end of the league since their Super Bowl victory in 2015, which is where their stats began to drop. In 2022, the Broncos left the season 5-12, where they made trades and efforts to improve their team. Changing through three different coaches in two years, the Broncos still only maintain a record of 3-5, as of November 2023. The current coach of the Broncos, Sean Payton, at the beginning of this season made it seem that the Broncos would have another unsuccessful year. However, that looks like it is sure to change after this triumph. It is clear that he sees some of the success the Broncos have been lacking for the last seven years, since their recession after their Super Bowl victory. Payton has a good history with football, playing professionally himself in 1988. After coaching the Saints for 15 years, Sean Payton has one Super Bowl win in 2010, and now coaches the Broncos. With a goal to get another Super Bowl win with the Broncos, Payton can be one of the first to have a dual-team Super Bowl win as a Head Coach.

Very few coaches have reached the goal of making a dual-team Super Bowl win, where they coach two different teams as Head Coach and manage to have two Super Bowl victories. With this goal in mind, Payton seems to have a good mindset for the Broncos.

The Broncos have made many efforts to increase their training and performance, both in training and on the field. Especially with new Head Coach Sean Payton, the Broncos have a much better season ahead of them. So far, Broncos have exceeded many of the fan’s expectations, defeating Chiefs at home, and even the Buffalo Bills at the following game. However, the game stats even further exceed expectations. At the Broncos and Chiefs, Broncos held a strong lead in rushing yards of 153-62. Running back Javonte Williams is the leading running back for the Broncos, holding just 85 yards and a touchdown in this game.