Broncos Locker Room Sounds Off on Chiefs Loss: 'You Can't Fall Asleep'

The Denver Broncos have to come to terms with what happened at Arrowhead Stadium.

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Heartbreak doesn't even cover the Denver Broncos' last-second loss to the miraculously still-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.  Not since 2015, when Peyton Manning was under center, have the Broncos won at Arrowhead, and this time around, it took a blocked 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired to send them home without the win they deserved.

If you are still reeling and lost for words, allow Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach to sum it up. 

"Games like this are supposed to hurt," Roach said after the devastating defeat.

The hurt won't be confined to just the Broncos. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be feeling the physical effects of a relentless Broncos pass push for several days to come.

Vance Joseph's impressive and ferociously attacking unit spectacularly bounced back from its disappointing off-day last week, holding the Chiefs out of the end zone on three of their four trips inside the red zone.

Furthermore, the Denver defense held Kansas City to a 7-of-16 conversion rate on third down, which gave Bo Nix the opportunity to bring the Broncos to the brink of a famous victory.

"They were phenomenal like usual. They've kept us in all of these games," Nix said about his defensive unit. "They gave us the ball back and any score would've won. It was impressive to see them. They held them in the red zone several times. They didn't give up explosive plays. They got sacks, plenty of sacks."

Now 10 games into his rookie year, Nix's development as a bonafide NFL quarterback has gone beyond the promising stage. Indeed, just how legit he is was showcased for all to see during the super-composed late drive he orchestrated at the death.

Nix thought he'd done enough. Alas...

"At some point, we just have to go down there and score on our own," Nix said. "We have to help them up and get some points in between us. It's a team game. We all know that. I thought the defense played really well again."

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Nix looked every inch the real deal as he led the precision march in the closing minutes that proved that Seaton Payton wasn't wrong about the young quarterback's cerebral and athletic skill-set.

"I thought as far as that drive taking five or six minutes off the clock was what everybody wants to do," Nix said. "We gave ourselves the chance. They just made one extra play. When we thought it was in our hands, it wasn't."

Nix is taking everything he's soaked in from his coaches and real game action and putting it to use on the field. He's edging ever closer to that major statement win. Alas, it was close, but no cigar this time around.

Ultimately, the failure to close out this game boiled down a catastrophic mistake made by Broncos interior offensive lineman Alex Forsyth and the group upfront. It might haunt the Broncos if they let it.

Following the game, Broncos veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey stopped short of claiming any moral victory over the Chiefs. That being said, he knows how tantalizingly close the Broncos got on this occasion — they could almost taste it.

"To do what we did on that last drive and essentially what you thought would end the game and then, you can't fall asleep on one play," McGlinchey said via Denver Sports' Andrew Mason. "It can change the face of a game, can change the face of the season, but we're coming out of here with our heads held high. I think we bounced back in a great way after not so good of a game last week. And I'm proud of the way we fought, proud of the way we executed in situational football today. And you just gotta make one more play."

As far as still making a push toward the playoffs, the resilient Broncos aren't making their reservations in the Heartbreak Hotel just yet.

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