Swift returns to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Denver Broncos, and Travis Kelce shines.

On Thursday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce runs the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first half. Denny Medley / USA Today Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs offense is still attempting to come together, as Patrick Mahomes is aware.

They had trouble versus Denver on third down on Thursday night, which made it clear. they kept becoming trapped in tight spaces when they had to move the ball. And in the fact that they consistently failed to convert trips into touchdowns in the red zone.

Fortunately for us, our defense is doing a fantastic job, Mahomes added.

So good that the Chiefs' 19-8 victory over the Broncos, whose own pitiful offense could only manage 197 yards behind a shaky performance from Russell Wilson, was secured by Mahomes'

With nine catches for 124 yards and Taylor Swift once more encouraging him from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium, Travis Kelce contributed significantly to Mahomes' final total of 306 yards passing and one interception.

However, the Chiefs (5-1)'s failure to score touchdowns rather than field goals almost cost them the game.

Butker's first three field goals gave them a 16-0 lead, but Wilson's touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton with approximately six minutes left kept the Broncos (1-5) in the game. The ball was initially called incomplete but was later overturned on review. And what had been a one-sided shutout became a one-possession game when Javonte Williams rushed into the end zone for the two-point convert.


However, the league's worst defense for the Broncos was unable to stop them. Rashee Rice caught a 28-yard pass from Mahomes on third-and-2 to put Butker in position for a 52-yard kick goal with 1:55 remaining to seal the victory.

Coach Andy Reid of the Chiefs remarked, "Our defense was incredible tonight, as it has been." But we have to attend to our obligations in the danger zone. We gained a lot of positive yards, but down there, you can't stall.

Since Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl on September 17, 2015, the Broncos have not defeated the Chiefs. Sean Payton led them on Thursday night, but little has changed since the previous six head coaches and interim managers. Their losing skid is the fourth-longest for any team versus another in NFL history, a league designed for parity.

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Payton stated, "I'm disappointed, but I'm not disheartened. "We had trouble throwing the ball offensively. Our third-down performance was dismal. It will be difficult to win the game against a squad like this because of the turnovers, but we were still in it going into the fourth quarter. You never know how a game will turn out sometimes.

Even though the Broncos' defense has struggled mightily this year, it was Wilson and their offense that kept them from improving. In the first half, Wilson passed for 37 yards, and the only drive he directed past midfield ended on a fourth down.

Not much better was being done by the Chiefs.

Thanks to a Justin Simmons interception and a failed tush push out of a field-goal lineup on fourth down, their first three trips into the red zone resulted in three points. Only once in the first half did Mahomes, who has struggled all season by his standards, find his flow, as he did to finish a 62-yard drive with a quick touchdown ball to Kadarius Toney.

Butker kicked a 60-yard field goal as time ran out to make the score 13-0 at the half.

In the second half, the Chiefs' struggles in the red zone persisted. They quickly moved down the field to set up first-and-goal at the Denver 8, but that quickly changed to fourth-and-goal at the seven-yard line, necessitating another field goal attempt from Butker.

Up until his game-winning kick in the closing minutes, that was all Kansas City could muster.

That was all the Chiefs required, thanks to the defense.

In the red zone and on a few third downs, we didn't execute well enough, but overall, I felt we did a lot of positive things, Mahomes said. "I still believe there are many positive things we can learn from it,"

Swift spent a third time Thursday night watching Kelce and the Chiefs. After missing out on meeting Swift on her Eras Tour, he asked her to a Chiefs game a few weeks ago, and the two have since started dating. Swift arrived by plane from Los Angeles, where she attended the red carpet premiere of her concert movie on Wednesday.

Chris Jones, a defensive tackle for the Chiefs, has sacks in eight straight regular-season games, which is second only to his own 11-game streak from last year for the best streak in company history. Jones broke the club record set by Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas to open the season by having at least one in each of his first five games this year.