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Mahomes, who had been hobbled much of the
season by a left ankle sprain, hurt his right knee executing a
sneak on fourth-and-inches from the Denver 5 with the Chiefs
leading 10-6 in the second quarter.
The reigning Most Valuable Player of the NFL was helped off the
field, then walked to the locker room before he was ruled out
after completing 10 of 11 passes for 76 yards and one touchdown
pass.
Early indications are that Mahomes dislocated his kneecap but
does not have a fracture, according to multiple reports. An MRI
will provide a clearer picture about whether Mahomes has
ligament damage.
Backup quarterback Matt Moore, a 12-year veteran who did not
play in 2018, took over as the Chiefs (5-2) snapped a two-game
losing streak with their eighth straight victory over the AFC
West rival Broncos (2-5).
Moore passed for 117 yards and delivered a backbreaking 57-yard
touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill with 4:20 left in the third
quarter for a 27-6 margin.
Kansas City relied mostly, though, on a much-maligned defense
entered the game ranked 27th in the NFL. The Chiefs recorded
nine sacks while allowing a season-low 205 total yards and gave
up only two conversions on 16 third- and fourth-down attempts.
The Chiefs' most disruptive play came when linebacker Anthony
Hitchens recorded a strip-sack of Denver quarterback Joe Flacco
that teammate Reggie Ragland returned 5 yards for a touchdown
with 7:10 remaining in the first half for a 20-6 lead.
That was part of a complete breakdown for the Broncos after they
capitalized on two third-down penalties against the Kansas City
defense and scored on their first possession, a 1-yard rush by
Royce Freeman.
A missed two-point conversion left Denver's lead at 6-0 and
began its offensive disconnect. Flacco, who went 21 of 34 for
213 yards passing, was sacked five times in the first half,
while a fake punt also backfired and resulted in a fourth-down
sack in Broncos territory.
The 20-6 lead Kansas City enjoyed at halftime included just one
offensive touchdown. Mahomes went 5-for-5 in engineering the
Chiefs' first drive, hitting rookie Mecole Hardman for a 21-yard
score with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter.
In his 21st season as an NFL coach, Andy Reid registered his
200th regular-season victory.
--Field Level Media
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