DENVER, Colo. — With five minutes left in Sunday’s win over the Chiefs, Broncos fans were ready to party.
Linebacker Alex Singleton asked for noise from the fans as Kansas City lined up for a 4th & 27 from their own 14-yard line. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes—who’d been sacked six times already, including both of the two previous plays—felt pressure bearing down on him once again and heaved a prayer up the right sideline.
Broncos safety Justin Simmons undercut the ball for an interception. Broncos Country erupted.
With a 21-9 lead and 4:44 on the clock, the game was decided. The Broncos would tack on a field goal and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since September of 2015, ending a 16-game losing streak.
Some fans left early, but 25% partied to the final whistle.
They sang and danced to “Jump Around,” “Just a Friend,” “Turn Down for What” and “Party Rock Anthem.”
They screamed when Tremon Smith singlehandedly tied up a kick returner at the 14-yard line.
They booed the 12,281 no-shows, who apparently couldn’t withstand the sub-freezing temperatures. The no-shows probably booed themselves for choosing to witness the end of an era in the Broncos-Chiefs rivalry from their couches instead of the bleachers.
Mile High Stadium rocked as loudly as it has since the losing streak began eight years ago.
As the Chiefs left the field, the stadium played Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” a nod to her relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. A few fans threw snowballs at the Chiefs as they entered their tunnel despite a warning during the game that snow-throwers could face ejection.
“Obviously, it’s the worst I’ve felt walking out of the stadium,” Mahomes said. “It’s a great environment. I actually had a lot of fun playing here. The fans are awesome. They enjoy the game and know the game. They were the better football team today.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos left the field and trekked to their locker room. The lights were turned off. The volume was turned up. The fog machine leaked 100 yards outside the doors of the locker room and down the tunnel. The noise from the celebrations carried farther.
Quarterback Russell Wilson walked in with tackle Garett Bolles and safety Justin Simmons, the two longest-tenured Broncos. They were the final players to arrive and the door was closed behind them.
“It feels great, man,” Bolles told media in the locker room after celebrations wrapped up. “You know, they’re a great team. They have a great culture of winning. I don’t think we have been, what eight years or something like that since we’ve beaten them. The crowd was electric. We got the job done today. And you know, just one game at a time, man.”
The world was a different place the last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs.
Back then, White Claw didn’t exist. Hamilton hadn’t premiered. Nobody had heard of Harambe or Pokémon GO. Only a lucky few had heard of Bitcoin. The iPhone still had a home button and a headphone port.
David Bowie, Prince and Muhammad Ali were alive. Kobe Bryant was still playing NBA basketball. Nikola Jokic hadn’t debuted yet.
The Golden State Warriors had just won their first title with Steph Curry. Tom Brady still had three more titles to go. Aaron Rodgers had the highest average salary in the NFL, a whopping $22 million per year. Russell Wilson was second.
Mahomes was two games into his first season as Texas Tech’s full-time starter. He’d beaten out Davis Webb, the previous starter, in the offseason. Webb is now the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach.
Mike McGlinchey, who was a junior at Notre Dame the last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs, signed with the Broncos this offseason as their highest-paid free agent. He’d only played one other game against the Chiefs as a Bronco, but he’d heard plenty about the streak.
“It feels so good for the guys that have been here and that have fought tooth and nail to keep this place afloat,” McGlinchey said. “Justin Simmons, Garrett Bolles, Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton—guys that have been here for such a long time and put their heart and soul into this organization. To come out and beat these guys, the defending world champs and number one team in the AFC. That’s a huge win. That’s a win that’s going to make us believers. It’s a win that can change an organization.”
The Broncos entered 2023 with three streaks to snap; the losing streak to the Chiefs, a losing streak to the Raiders that has extended to seven games, and a playoff drought that has lasted seven seasons.
The streak against Kansas City is over. The Broncos will get another crack at the Raiders in the final week of the season. But the playoff streak is still unlikely to end, even if McGlinchey thinks Sunday’s win can “change an organization.” The Broncos are 3-5 and next up is a date with the Buffalo Bills, winners of at least 10 games in each of the past four seasons.
But the Bills are a problem for after the bye week. For now, the Broncos can enjoy the glory of being the only Broncos team to beat Kansas City in the past eight seasons.
“What streak?” outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper asked reporters. “What streak are we talking about? It’s over now. It’s a one-game winning streak for us, that’s what we’re talking about.”
