The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a frustrating 24-21 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. It appeared that Kansas City was actually going to sweep Denver in the first half of the season. But a 24-13 lead was blown. The Chiefs also failed to capitalize at the end of the game near the goal line.
It looked as if the Chiefs had completed a game-winning touchdown pass to Rashee Rice. However, a false start penalty on Jaylon Moore took away the score and knocked the offense back five yards. From six yards out, Patrick Mahomes was sacked. Kansas City could not answer on its final chance.
Yes, the Chiefs missed some blocks up front on that play. Mahomes did not get the time he needed for a shot at the end zone. Most of all, when watching that play back, the pass catchers provided a snapshot of the weaknesses and issues that continue to plague them against good defenses.
The final play appeared dead on arrival
Nobody got open on the final play of the game. Again, the Broncos did well to get home quickly with their pass rush. But even if Mahomes had an extra couple of seconds, it looked airtight when it came to throwing windows.
BRONCOS WIN pic.twitter.com/A4SWB4IO4L
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026
Xavier Worthy came in motion from right to left. He, Travis Kelce, and Kenneth Walker were flooding to the left side of the field. Mahomes would have had to throw it high on a corner route to Worthy. Walker likely would have needed to break a tackle or two underneath from at least four or five yards out in order to score. Finally, Kelce had very little leverage or room against a Broncos linebacker. That was the route that maybe opens up more with improvisation if the pass rush does not get home. But even still, Kelce's battle with the defender was prolonged.
On the other side of that final play, Rice and Andrew Armstrong were running routes toward the end zone. Rice was moving into the middle of the end zone, while Armstrong was heading toward the back right corner. There were two defenders immediately blanketing Armstrong. Rice was caught in muddy traffic throughout the play as well.
This final play encapsulates the current issues of the Chiefs' pass catchers so well. Nobody was fooling the Denver defense with these routes. Yes, the Broncos possess a tremendous secondary. However, Kansas City does not have the most dynamic or creative route runners. And it is challenging for any of these pass catchers to consistently win in contested situations or in congested areas one-on-one.
More head-scratching moments outside of the final play
There were some other pass-catcher moments that jumped out in a bad way for the Chiefs in this game. A deep attempt by Mahomes to Cyrus Allen was just missed. As J.J. Watt pointed out on the broadcast, Allen actually slowed down during his route. He may have thought he was simply running a clearout route for a different opportunity underneath. But if he keeps running at full speed, there is a chance that Mahomes connects with him and possibly allows Allen to break free from defenders for a long touchdown.
Worthy was unable to get any separation on the last play. On the other hand, there were moments where he potentially missed a chance to move the chains or catch a pass with extra space to maneuver between defenders.
Worthy and Mahomes did not appear to be on the same page on one attempt down the sideline. Mahomes threw it behind Worthy, possibly expecting the receiver to complete a curl, stop, or comeback route near the sideline. It is not the first time this season that Worthy has been running down the field seemingly unaware that Mahomes was targeting him. The passer left the throw underneath the coverage, and it fell to the turf behind Worthy's back. The amount of miscommunication between Mahomes and this pass-catching group is befuddling throughout portions of games.
Receiver issues should lead to trade deadline move
The missed chances for the Chiefs' wide receivers lead to even more speculation about Kansas City trading for a wide receiver. K.C. has certainly been in the rumor mill at a heavy rate when it comes to possible wide receiver trades.
The Chiefs do not have much time left before the trade deadline. But with some clear issues and weaknesses materializing against the Broncos, this loss could accelerate a potential move. It would be a missed opportunity, given the rest of the Chiefs' roster, if Kansas City did not do something to address this struggling pass-catching group.
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