The Chiefs' dominance of the Broncos has become something of an annual tradition. It's carried over into the 2023 NFL season.
As Week 6 opened with the AFC West rivals meeting on "Thursday Night Football," Kansas City earned its 16th consecutive win over Denver. It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Chiefs were never truly in danger as they earned a 19-8 win over the Broncos.
It's the fifth straight win of the season for Kansas City, which is now 5-1 on the year. Denver, on the other hand, drops to 1-5, a disappointing mark for first-year head coach Sean Payton.
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The Sporting News tracked the score, updates and highlights from the primetime meeting between division rivals.
Broncos vs. Chiefs final score
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Chiefs | 3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
Broncos vs. Chiefs score, updates, highlights from 'Thursday Night Football'
(All times Eastern.)
Final: Broncos 19, Chiefs 8
11:06 p.m.: FUMBLE! That will just about do it. Samaje Perine fumbles after a reception and it's recovered by the Chiefs.
Kansas City is now in victory formation and it will move to 5-1 while Denver drops to 1-5.
11:03 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Harrison Butker has been automatic in this one. With a 52-yarder, Butker moves to 4 of 4 in the game.
The Chiefs lead by 11 points with 1:55 remaining
Chiefs 19, Broncos 8
11 p.m.: Patrick Mahomes is sacked on third-and-10, bringing up fourth-and-22 from Denver's 34-yard line.
After the two-minute warning, Harrison Butker will take the field and look to make it a two-possession game once again and put this away.
10:52 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! The play is ruled a touchdown and the two-point conversion is good!
After struggling throughout the night, Denver gets on the board and makes it a one-possession game with 6:07 remaining in regulation.
Chiefs 16, Broncos 8
10:51 p.m.: There's a challenge on the field as Courtland Sutton looks to have made a remarkable touchdown grab from Russell Wilson.
Seriously, what a catch.
10:47 p.m.: The Broncos are now threatening to score.
Safety Mark Edwards is called for roughing the passer for a hit on Russell Wilson and the Broncos will get a fresh set of downs from the Chiefs' 11-yard line.
10:41 p.m.: A potentially explosive play from the Chiefs is negated by an illegal block in the back and Kansas City's drive ends after a 14-yard gain on third-and-17.
Kansas City will punt back to Denver, who gets the ball back on its 40-yard line down 16 points with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
10:29 p.m.: Again, the Broncos offense can't get anything going. Their drive stalls with an incomplete pass on third-and-10 from their own 27.
Denver punts the ball back to Kansas City, which opens its next drive from its own 12-yard line after a holding penalty on the return.
End of third quarter: Chiefs 16, Broncos 0
10:16 p.m.: For a team that gave up 70 points earlier in the season, Denver has held up on the defensive end.
The Broncos stand the Chiefs up on fourth-and-1 and will get the ball back after a Kansas City punt.
Denver's offense takes over from its own 5-yard line.
10:09 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Another solid drive from the Broncos ends in disappointment. Russell Wilson's pass is deflected and Chiefs safety Justin Reid comes up with the pick.
Reid returns the interception for 11 yards and Kansas City will open its next drive from its own 36-yard line.
10:01 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Harrison Butker is 3 of 3 on the night after connecting from 25 yards to give Kansas City a 16-point lead.
The Broncos defense again holds serve in the red zone and the Chiefs have to be upset about missed opportunities to get more points in this one. It's still a two-possession game with 9:16 remaining in the third.
Chiefs 16, Broncos 0
9:53 p.m.: The Chiefs begin the second half with the ball and start at their own 25-yard line.
Kansas City has an opportunity to break this game open with a sustained drive.
Halftime: Chiefs 13, Broncos 0
9:38 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! As the half comes to a close, Harrison Butker connects from 60 (!) yards out to give Kansas City a 13-point lead.
It's the longest field goal of the season for Butker and the second-longest of his career. Butker connected on a 62-yarder in 2022.
9:34 p.m.: Russell Wilson is sacked by Chris Jones on third down and the Chiefs will get the ball back with 15 seconds left on their own 39-yard line.
Patrick Mahomes and company have one timeout and will try to get into field goal range before the break.
9:30 p.m.: Nothing goes for the Chiefs, who are forced to punt on fourth-and-26, the result of a few penalties.
Denver has two timeouts and the ball on its own 24-yard line with 47 seconds remaining in the half. It's unclear how aggressive Sean Payton will have his team get before the half.
9:23 p.m.: The Broncos' offense again fails to get anything going and will give the ball back to the Chiefs after the two-minute warning.
Patrick Mahomes will look to lead his offensive unit to another score before the halftime break.
9:16 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Patrick Mahomes finds Kadarius Toney for the first touchdown of the night.
Mahomes, who has 11 touchdowns on the year, is now 13 of 18 for 151 yards. Toney's got two catches for eight yards in the game. The Chiefs are out to a 10-point lead with 3:06 remaining in the half.
Chiefs 10, Broncos 0
9:08 p.m.: It's a three and out for Denver, which punts it back to Kansas City.
Montrell Washington muffs the punt but quickly recovers. The Chiefs will take back over from their own 38-yard line.
9:03 p.m.: STOPPED! The Chiefs try to get sneaky with a fake field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Broncos' 6-yard line, but Denver's defense is prepared for the trickery.
Kansas City is stood up at the line and Denver's defense again holds serve in the red zone.
The Broncos take back over with 8:04 remaining in the haf.
8:53 p.m.: The Broncos can't get much going either and after getting stopped on third down, are forced to punt back to the Chiefs.
A 19-yard punt results in solid field position for Kansas City, which will begin its next drive from its own 41-yard line.
End of first quarter: Chiefs 3, Broncos 0
8:51 p.m.: One quarter is in the books. As entertaining as it's been, there's just been one score.
Through one quarter, Russell Wilson is 4 of 5 for 14 yards and an interception. Patrick Mahomes is 5 of 8 for 72 yards and an interception.
8:43 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! With the Chiefs in the red zone, Patrick Mahomes attempts to make a play but is instead intercepted in the end zone by Broncos safety Justin Simmons.
Denver again withstands a solid drive from Kansas City, which is unable to convert a turnover into points.
After a six-yard return, the Broncos will begin their next drive of the night from their own 7-yard line.
8:38 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Russell Wilson's pass intended for Jerry Jeudy is intercepted by Chiefs LB Nick Bolton. It's Wilson's third interception of the season.
With under five minutes remaining in the first frame, the Chiefs offense will take back over at their own 42-yard line.
8:34 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Harrison Butker connects on a 35-yard attempt to get the Chiefs on the board first.
Kansas City's drive doesn't result in a touchdown but it does put points on the board.
Chiefs 3, Broncos 0
8:30 p.m.: You don't see this often.
Patrick Mahomes connects with Travis Kelce, who then laterals to Noah Gray, who finishes things off for a first down. The Chiefs are driving early.
8:23 p.m.: STOPPED! The Broncos drive stalls as they're unable to convert on fourth-and-3. It's a turnover on downs.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will take over from their own 41-yard line.
8:18 p.m.: The Broncos lose the coin toss and the Chiefs defer to the second half.
Denver will begin the game on its own 25-yard line.
Pregame
8 p.m.: "We protect this house."
Patrick Mahomes has never lost to Denver in his career. Safe to say he's ready to keep that streak going.
7:25 p.m.: An obligatory Taylor Swift mention. Amazon's broadcast captured the megastar entering Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Chiefs.
6:45 p.m.: Each team has released their inactive list for Thursday night.
Inactive for the Broncos: S JL Skinner, TE Nate Adkins, LB Frank Clark, LB Thomas Incoom, C Alex Forsyth, DT D.J. Jones and DL Elijah Garcia.
Inactive for the Chiefs: CB Nic Jones, DE BJ Thompson, OL Mike Caliendo, DT Neil Farrell and DT Keondre Coburn.
5 p.m.: The Broncos have made a few roster moves of note. Denver has activated TE Greg Dulchich from IR and signed WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey to the practice squad.
Additionally, the team has elevated Humphrey and DT Tyler Lancaster to the active roster for Thursday night.
4 p.m.: Despite dealing with an ankle injury, Chiefs All-Pro TE Travis Kelce is expected to suit up against the Broncos.
Broncos vs. Chiefs start time
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 12
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Thursday night's game between the Broncos and Chiefs will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. local time) from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
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What channel is Broncos vs. Chiefs on today?
- TV channel (Denver): KMGH-TV (Channel 7)
- TV channel (Kansas City): KSHB-TV (Channel 41)
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video | DAZN (in Canada)
Nationally, Thursday night's class will air exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (color analyst) will be on the call from FedEx Field, with Kaylee Hartung serving as the sideline reporter.
In the Denver market, fans can watch the game on their local ABC affiliate (Channel 7) while fans in the Chiefs market can watch the game on the local NBC affiliate (Channel 41).
Fans in Canada can stream the game on DAZN, which carries every NFL game all season.
Thursday Night Football schedule 2023
The full Thursday Night Football schedule for the 2023 NFL season:
Week | Date | Matchup |
---|---|---|
2 | Sept. 14 | Eagles 34, Vikings 28 |
3 | Sept. 21 | 49ers 30, Giants 12 |
4 | Sept. 28 | Lions 34, Packers 20 |
5 | Oct. 5 | Bears 40, Commanders 20 |
6 | Oct. 12 | Broncos 19, Chiefs 8 |
7 | Oct. 19 | Jaguars at Saints |
8 | Oct. 26 | Buccaneers at Bills |
9 | Nov. 2 | Titans at Steelers |
10 | Nov. 9 | Panthers at Bears |
11 | Nov. 16 | Bengals at Ravens |
12 | Nov. 24 | Dolphins at Jets (Friday) |
13 | Nov. 30 | Seahawks at Cowboys |
14 | Dec. 7 | Patriots at Steelers |
15 | Dec. 14 | Chargers at Raiders |
16 | Dec. 21 | Saints at Rams |
17 | Dec. 28 | Jets at Browns |