Patrick Mahomes Engineers 10-Point 4th-Quarter Comeback as Chiefs Beat Broncos

There aren't enough words in the English language to describe Patrick Mahomes.

It appeared as if he and the Kansas City Chiefs were well on their way to their first loss of the season when they fell behind the Denver Broncos 23-13 in the fourth quarter of Monday's game at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Then he unleashed a left-handed throw, dazzling mobility and two cold-blooded touchdown drives to clinch a 27-23 victory and move to 4-0. 

Mahomes finished 28-of-45 for 304 yards, two total touchdowns and zero interceptions in the AFC West showdown and created early separation from the 2-2 Broncos in the division standings.

Patrick Mahomes Has Emerged as Legit NFL Superstar After Incredible Comeback

Mahomes and the explosive Chiefs offense has been the story of the season in the AFC. After all, he threw for a video-game like 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the first three games and looked like the best quarterback in the league in the process.

However, it takes memorable performances on prime-time stages to elevate into NFL superstardom, and that is exactly what Mahomes delivered Monday in the face of extensive adversity.

He was operating without one of his primary weapons after the team announced Sammy Watkins suffered a hamstring injury. What's more, his offensive line struggled to deal with the overwhelming crowd noise in Denver and committed multiple drive-stalling penalties while failing to keep Von Miller and the pass rush out of the backfield.

It was a testament to Mahomes' incredible individual talent the Broncos finished with just one sack, as he twisted out of arm tackles, evaded blitzers with his athleticism and even showed off his wheels with a touchdown run. 

He responded to the 10-point deficit with a 12-play, 75-yard drive—that included a fourth-down conversion and a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce—to cut into the lead and an eight-play, 60-yard drive to win it. While Kareem Hunt (121 rushing yards) scored the final touchdown, it was Mahomes' inexplicable left-handed throw to Tyreek Hill with Miller bearing down on him that stood out.

The play will be on all the year-end highlight reels and underscores Mahomes' ascension to the next tier of quarterback play in front of a national audience.

A league MVP and potential Super Bowl run is well within his capabilities.

Chiefs Defense Puts Ceiling on Super Bowl Aspirations

For all the deserved praise Mahomes and the Chiefs offense receive, the harsh reality is the defense could prevent this team from lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

It was dead last in the league in yards allowed per game and 30th in points allowed per game entering play Monday, and the struggles continued as the Broncos offensive line consistently opened massive holes while Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay combined for 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Freeman's touchdown highlighted Kansas City's lackluster tackling as he dragged defenders into the end zone on what should have been an unsuccessful play.

Frankly, Kansas City's defense is lucky it didn't give up the winning touchdown after Mahomes engineered the incredible comeback. Denver's final drive included a fourth-down conversion, a 36-yard gain by Jeff Heuerman and a wide-open Demaryius Thomas who would have scored had Case Keenum not airmailed him. 

Between Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers and even a resurgent Joe Flacco, Kansas City's defense will surely face a combination of talented quarterbacks on the road to the Super Bowl. It may even play a daunting defense like the Jacksonville Jaguars' and be forced to make stops to remain in the game.

This group isn't talented enough to avoid critical mistakes in the single-elimination playoffs, let alone in a possible Super Bowl matchup with the likes of Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz, Cam Newton or Drew Brees. 

Mahomes will need to be Superman on a weekly basis come January if the Chiefs are going to overcome their defense.

Case Keenum Leaves Broncos Fans Longing For More

The Broncos would have won this game with even an average performance by Keenum.

He finished 21-of-33 for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception and wasn't able to complement a strong two-headed rushing attack. His missed throw to Thomas will haunt him as he watches it back on film.

Quarterbacks with realistic Super Bowl hopes make those big throws.

Keenum's ceiling is the Broncos' ceiling. They are relying on a quarterback who has one good season on his resume. While he was great for the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 with 22 touchdown passes and seven picks, Keenum appeared in more than eight games in just one year prior to that, recording nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2016 for the Los Angeles Rams. 

The rushing attack is there for the Broncos. The pass rush is there for the Broncos. The consistent quarterback play they need to contend for an AFC West crown isn't.

It cost them Monday.

What's Next?

Both teams face AFC opponents in Week 5 with the Chiefs hosting the Jaguars and the Broncos at the New York Jets.