Denver Broncos 8-19 Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce and strong defensive effort lifts Chiefs to 16th straight win over Broncos

Patrick Mahomes threw for 306 yards and a touchdown, Harrison Butker kicked four field goals, and the Kansas City Chiefs held off the Denver Broncos 19-8 on Thursday night for their 16th straight win over their long-time AFC West rivals.

Travis Kelce had nine catches for 124 yards for Kansas City while the Chiefs (5-1) leaned more heavily on their defense to shut down erratic Russell Wilson and the Broncos (1-5).

Wilson was held to 95 yards passing with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions, and Denver finished with just 197 yards of total offense. Still, the Chiefs' inability to turn red-zone trips into touchdowns nearly cost them.

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Butker's first three field goals helped them to a 16-0 lead, but Wilson's touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton - ruled incomplete but overturned upon review - with about six minutes remaining, kept the Broncos alive. And when Javonte Williams bulled into the end zone for the two-point conversion, what had been a one-sided shutout was a one-possession game.

The Broncos' league-worst defense couldn't make a stop, though. Mahomes converted third-and-two with a 28-yard pass to Rashee Rice, putting Butker in position for a 52-yard field goal with 1:55 left that put the game away.

The Broncos have not beaten the Chiefs since September 17, 2015, the year Peyton Manning led Denver to the Super Bowl. That was six head and interim coaches ago, and nothing changed with Sean Payton leading them Thursday night.

In a league built for parity, their losing streak is the fourth-longest for any team against another in NFL history.

Stats leaders:

Denver Broncos

• Passing: Russell Wilson 13/22, 95 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
• Rushing: Javonte Williams, 10 carries, 52 yards
• Receiving: Courtland Sutton, 4 catches, 46 yards, 1 TD

Kansas City Chiefs

• Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 30/40, 306 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Isiah Pacheco, 16 carries, 62 yards
• Receiving: Travis Kelce, 9 catches, 124 yards

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones had a sack in his eighth straight regular-season game, which trails only his own 11-game streak in 2018 for the longest in franchise history. With at least one in his first five this season, Jones broke the club record to start the season held by Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.

As bad as the Broncos' defense has been this season, it was Wilson and their offense that kept dragging them down. He had 37 yards passing in the first half, and the only drive Wilson led past midfield ended on fourth down. The Chiefs were not doing a whole lot better.

Their first three forays into the red zone netted three points, thanks to an interception by Justin Simmons and a failed tush-push out of a field-goal lineup on fourth down.

Mahomes only found his rhythm once in the first half, when he ended a 62-yard drive with a short touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney.

Butker made it 13-0 at the break when he drilled a 60-yard field goal as time expired.

The Chiefs' red-zone woes continued in the second half. They began by swiftly marching downfield and setting up first-and-goal at the Denver eight, but that quickly turned into fourth-and-goal at the seven-yard line and Butker was forced to kick another field goal.

That was all Kansas City could muster until his clinching kick in the final minutes.

Scoring summary

What did they say?

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: "Luckily for us, our defense is playing great. We have guys that are starters on other teams that are trying to find a way on the football field, and when they get on the field, they're making plays. And they're playing with confidence."

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid: "Our defense was incredible tonight, as it has been. But we have to take care of business in the red zone. We had a lot of yards, positive yards, but you can't stall down there."

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson: "We knew it was going to be a four-quarter battle. We had some opportunities we could have capitalized on. We had a chance. We have to play better and play cleaner. I have to play better."

Broncos head coach Sean Payton: "I'm disappointed but I'm not discouraged. Offensively we struggled throwing the ball. Our third-down numbers were poor. The turnovers, against a team like this, it's going to be tough to win the game, and yet we were still in it going into the fourth quarter. Sometimes you don't know how a game is going to unfold."

What's next?

Next up for Denver is a meeting at home to the Green Bay Packers (2-3) next Sunday, while the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Chargers (2-2).

Watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the Tennessee Titans from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday October 15, with kickoff at 2.30pm.