Why KC Chiefs victory over Broncos was like a ‘fairy tale,’ plus something more

Call it resolve, or call it fortune.

Call it making their own breaks … or the other team blinking.

Call it collective soul, character or identity.

But call them who they are: The charmed Chiefs.

Because every time you can only figure that this is the scenario with no escape or solution …

They simply concoct another unfathomable victory.

The truly uncanny trait was somehow validated all the more on Sunday in a Houdini-esque 16-14 win against visiting Denver — a victory that afterward left the Chiefs celebrating as if it were a championship and awestruck as they tried to describe it later.

“You can’t make it up,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said three different times when I spoke with him after the game.

Because they conjured a 15th straight win that eclipsed an already absurd catalog of improbable ones — including three last-play victories in their 8-0 start entering Sunday’s game.

For all the conviction the Chiefs might have about their knack for summoning that “find-a-way” path in the late-game crucible, this predicament seemed on another tier of impossible.

When the Broncos lined up for a routine 35-yard field-goal attempt with 1 second left, there wasn’t much to cling to, except for strands of hope.

Entering the day, after all, there had only been 10 blocked field goals in the NFL this season. And of the 213 field-goal attempts of 35 yards and under, 207 had been successful (97%).

“You’re obviously worried; it’s out of your control,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “At the same time, I trust (that) my teammates are going to go out there and make a play.”

On the sideline before the field-goal attempt, cornerback Trent McDuffie thought about how hard Dave Toub’s special teams practice blocking field goals — “they practice like they’re getting blocks,” he said — and how often safety Justin Reid says, “We’re going to get a block, we’re going to get a block.”

So McDuffie thought to himself, “‘J-Reid, you know what, maybe this time we get a block.’”

Andjustlikethat ... a host of Chiefs barged through the line of scrimmage and Leo Chenal blocked Will Lutz’s kick to save the game.

“It was one of the greatest sounds in football: the ‘thud-thud,’ ” Tranquill said, meaning the sound of the kick and the block. “That second thud … You can’t make it up, man. That’s a beautiful thing.”

So beautiful it triggered a variety of spontaneous reactions after the Chiefs tied a club record with a 9-0 start marked by an average margin of victory of 6.44 points a game.

Engulfed in what he called joy, Mahomes suddenly was galloping and screaming down the field.

“It’s awesome; you live for these moments,” he said. “I mean, you grew up playing football. You live for the walk-off, whatever it is.”

In their case, they’ve experienced a variation of it five different ways in their last 10 games, going back to winning the Super Bowl in overtime.

The opener ended with the Ravens being out of bounds by a toe.

The next week, the Chiefs beat Cincinnati on Harrison Butker’s 51-yard field goal on the last play of regulation.

Last Monday, they beat Tampa Bay in overtime.

And ... now this.

As much as McDuffie wanted to have faith, he stood still as if mesmerized when it actually happened.

While others rushed the field, he said he initially just froze and had no words.

“I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this happened,’” he said. “You know, some things (are) just meant to be.”

Across the locker room, left tackle Wanya Morris had the same sense of disbelief but framed it differently.

“This is like a fairy tale, man,” he told The Star’s Jesse Newell. “It’s something you can’t really talk about, and things you don’t see every day. It’s amazing. It’s just amazing to be part of this team, man. So you’ve got to give credit to guys in this locker room.”

And that’s the intangible takeaway of all this.

Even as Tranquill pondered his own immediate screaming reaction — “I took off on an 80-yard sprint; I didn’t know where I was running” — he also thought about why one day he’ll want to tell his kids about this kind of moment.

Because it’s about more than just the play itself.

As a former Charger who often was on the other end of these sorts of things against the Chiefs, he knows this is about “a winning mindset” that has become constantly replenished and reinforced.

Starting with Chiefs coach Andy Reid, he said, “It’s all about winning and finding a way to win. And you’re never out of the fight. We talk about it every single week.

“Literally, he starts every meeting with ‘It’s about four quarters. Every blade of grass. Every inch.’ ”

So they won despite plenty going awry.

Like the ongoing issues at left tackle, and Kareem Hunt managing only 35 yards on 14 carries. And Mahomes being sacked five times and missing a wide-open Travis Kelce for a would-be late touchdown that would have changed the complexion of Denver’s final drive.

And of course you should worry about their game next week at Buffalo, where the 8-2 Bills will be revved up for them.

Until then, though, this is the abiding persona.

And as stressful as it might be to watch as a fan, imagine the distress this persona must put on other teams.

One way or another, it’s a phenomenon.

Smiling in appreciation of a play he figures Chenal will treasure the rest of his life, Mahomes added, “I’m just glad that we all get to experience it together.”