Don’t lose sight of this gamble from the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes made it pay off

Before the Chiefs walked off the Denver Broncos with a blocked field goal for a 16-14 victory on Sunday, they faced another improbable moment.

At least by their standards.

With the Broncos leading 14-3 in the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs drove to the Denver 2-yard line ... and stalled. Two snaps produced nothing.

Fourth-and-2 came with a decision that often results in KC coach Andy Reid grabbing sure points — a short field goal. Recall the Chiefs’ Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, when Harrison Butker hit a 19-yard field goal on fourth down from the 1.

For the season, entering the weekend, the Chiefs had gone for a fourth down seven times. Only four teams had attempted fewer such gambles.

This one paid off and delivered a momentum-swinging play ... and a record-setting moment.

“It was Coach Reid giving us a chance to get a touchdown,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.

The call — a quick strike from Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce — came with choices.

“(Kelce) was my first read, but I had a couple of options there,” Mahomes said. “But when your first read’s open, man, you just fire it to him.”

On a day when the Broncos held the Chiefs to 300 total yards, KC’s second-lowest output of the season, it was good to have options. The problem was, Mahomes never seemed to have much time to operate.

He was sacked four times, and a fifth was avoided with an amazing whirling throw that fell incomplete while in the arms of a defender.

So, good that Kelce made the move he did. He lined up on the right side inside of Noah Gray and Justyn Ross. At the snap, Kelce moved like he was headed to the corner but quickly cut back. Space quickly opened when Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian slipped.

Kelce had the touchdown — with girlfriend Taylor Swift cheering from a suite. It was his second TD of the season and 76th of his career, matching Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record.

Kelce finished the day with eight catches for 64 yards. He has 60 receptions in 2024, which puts him on pace for 113 this season.

Had Leo Chenal not blocked the Broncos’ last-gasp field goal attempt, Mahomes would have spent more time thinking about a couple of passes he didn’t complete.

The first? A deep shot to rookie Xavier Worthy early in the fourth quarter down the right sideline. The fleet receiver had a step on Denver cornerback Riley Moss, and a completion would have been a touchdown.

Instead, the ball drifted too far to the right for Worthy to come close to catching it inbounds.

The second miss would have been long remembered, if not for Chenal. On the play before Harrison Butker’s 20-yard field goal with 5:59 remaining, which proved to be the game-winning points, Kelce had worked himself free in the back of the end zone — and Mahomes airmailed it.

It was a stunning miss from a player who completes 69.5% of his passes. And it left the door open even wider for the Broncos, who now would need only a field goal, instead of a touchdown, to take the lead.

Twice during his postgame conversation with reporters, Mahomes mentioned those throws.

“If I make the touchdown throw to Trav and I made the touchdown throw to Worthy, we’re probably in a different situation,” Mahomes said.

But the Chiefs arrived at the final play because they took a chance on — and delivered — their lone touchdown earlier in the game.