The Broncos found an unlikely hero when they needed one most.
In the final seconds of Sunday’s 28-24 comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver turned to JL Skinner, a safety who had logged only two defensive snaps all season before that moment. Skinner came through with a goal-line stop that helped seal the Broncos’ biggest victory of the year.
Kansas City had the ball at the 1-yard line on third-and-goal when Skinner shot through the line and dropped Kenneth Walker III for no gain. That stop kept the Chiefs out of the end zone and set up the final sequence that ended Denver’s night with a win.
Skinner’s role had been tiny before Sunday. According to the Broncos’ official website, he played nine defensive snaps in the game after seeing just two over Denver’s first seven weeks. The fourth-year safety usually works on special teams, but injuries forced him into a much bigger defensive role.
Denver was already short-handed in the secondary when starting safety Brandon Jones aggravated a hamstring injury and was ruled out at halftime. Fellow starter Talanoa Hufanga had already been sidelined by an ankle injury, leaving the Broncos without both of their starting safeties.
Skinner answered the call with one of the game’s defining plays.
After his third-down stop, the Chiefs looked like they had punched in a touchdown on fourth down when Rashee Rice caught a pass in the end zone. But a false-start penalty on offensive tackle Jaylon Moore wiped out the score and pushed Kansas City back to the 6-yard line.
From there, the Broncos finished the job. On the next fourth-and-goal snap, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes to end the game.
The stand capped Denver’s rally from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and lifted the Broncos into first place in the AFC West at 6-2.
On Monday, Broncos coach Sean Payton pointed to the team’s defensive depth and the way younger players stepped up when called upon. Skinner, who had spent most of the season on the sideline, ended up helping deliver one of Denver’s most important defensive plays of the year.
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