The Broncos’ win over the Chiefs came with a few familiar names doing the heavy lifting, but the real story was the group of quieter contributors who popped at just the right time. In Sam Jane’s weekly stock report for the Denver Post, several players who haven’t always filled the box score showed up in a major way in Sunday’s biggest win of Denver’s young season.
Jonah Coleman was at the center of it. For the second straight week, he made himself impossible to ignore, and against Kansas City he delivered the kind of sequence that swings a game.
Coleman finished with 104 yards from scrimmage, which marked the first time a Broncos running back topped 100 yards from scrimmage this season. Then he put the game away with a two-play burst: a 51-yard catch and a 5-yard touchdown run.
It was the kind of finish that showed off the receiving skill and contact balance he flashed at Washington.
Troy Franklin didn’t need a huge receiving line to leave his mark. His work against the Chiefs showed up in the details.
He helped spring Coleman on the fourth-quarter catch-and-run with his blocking, drew a crucial pass interference penalty early to give Denver easy yards and help Bo Nix settle in, and later ran the rub route that opened the door for Jaylen Waddle’s one-yard touchdown catch. It was the kind of complete outing coaches love, even if it doesn’t always show up neatly in the stat sheet.
JL Skinner also earned his place among the risers. The safety is usually known more for special teams work, but with the game hanging in the balance, he came through in a one-on-one stop of Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III. Skinner has logged only 56 defensive snaps in his Broncos career, but after that play, Denver may have to take a harder look at how to use him.
Ja’Quan McMillian keeps making this list because he keeps making plays. Against Kansas City, he shut down receiver Xavier Worthy on the Chiefs’ first throw at the goal line, and that was only the latest example of his knack for showing up in big moments. Even with Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss back in the lineup, McMillian was the corner who stood out and got the job done.
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Chiefs Meltdown Added Even More To Denvers First-Place Win
The Broncos Week 8 win over Kansas City already carried plenty of weight, but the ripple effects made it feel even bigger in Denver. A 28-24 victory pushed the Broncos to 6-2 and dropped the Chiefs to 5-2, flipping the AFC West standings and giving Denver a first-place spot it had been chasing.
Kansas Citys frustration spilled well beyond the field after the game, with Brittany Mahomes taking to Instagram Stories to criticize a late penalty that wiped out a potential turning point. For the Broncos, it was the kind of divisional win that does more than add a mark in the standings, because it also leaves the rival most likely to challenge them dealing with the fallout. [Read more 🡒]
Mahomes Postgame Drama Briefly Took Attention From Denvers Biggest Win
The Broncos biggest win of the season came with some extra postgame noise after Kansas Citys second straight loss turned into a heated finish. The Chiefs fell to 5-2 after a late false start penalty wiped out their chance to win, and Patrick Mahomes spent much of his postgame availability venting about the officiating after throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 30 completions.
A viral clip then briefly shifted attention to a supposed handshake snub involving Mahomes and Bo Nix, but the moment did not match what actually happened on the field. CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson clarified that the quarterbacks had a long conversation after the game and showed each other respect, a small but telling detail after a night that had already delivered plenty of drama for Denver to enjoy. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Win Over Chiefs Raised A Bigger J.K. Dobbins Question
The Broncos Week 8 win over the Chiefs gave the offense a jolt, and Jonah Coleman was a big part of it with 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. It was the kind of performance that can change the tone around a backfield, especially in a game with that much weight attached to it, because Denver found production when it mattered most and showed it has more than one option to lean on.
J.K. Dobbins, meanwhile, was left with a much smaller footprint in the game plan, which only sharpened the questions about how the Broncos want to divide the work going forward. With the backfield hierarchy already worth watching, the possibility of Denver exploring another move at the position adds another layer to a situation that suddenly feels less settled than it did before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]