Chiefs at Broncos third quarter recap

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are down 30-9 at home to the Kansas City Chiefs after three quarters of play. Here’s the recap of the third quarter.

The Denver Broncos had a terrible second quarter and entered the third quarter down 24-9 with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs with the opening possession.

Things started out well with Malik Reed exploding off the edge to sack Mahomes on the first play of the second half. After an incomplete pass to Tyreek Hill on second down, but found him on third down for a 15-yard gain. That was short of the sticks to force a punt.

KJ Hamler muffed the punt, but rookie Essang Bassey was there to recover the potential disaster.

Denver got things going early with a Lock to Tim Patrick connection for one first down, then an end around to Hamler who hurtled hit way to another first down to the 43-yard line.

It all came crashing to an end with a botched flea flicker that wound up in the hands of a Chiefs defender just inside the red zone. The Broncos defense continued suffocating the Chiefs offense, but they were well inside field goal range to extend their lead.

Chiefs 27, Broncos 9.

The Broncos defense had done its job up to this point, but the offense and special teams have absolutely squandered any chance they had away.

Melvin Gordon took back to back runs on the Broncos next possession for a first down. A terrible pass outside to a wide open Gordon and a short gain would setup a third and long for Denver after that.

Lock would find Jerry Jeudy short of the stick, but the rookie would juke the defender to turn up field for a 15-yard gain and a first down.

A pair of passes to his tight ends set up Drew Lock with a third and five at the Chiefs 45-yard line. Lock, from the shotgun, threw a bullet high over the head of Gordon. Down by three scores, the Broncos opted to go for it and Lock would hit Hamler on a short pass who would turn it up field and tackled a yard short of the first down marker.

You could feel the game had finally slipped away from the Broncos at that point. With the third quarter winding down, Mahomes and the Chiefs would put the final nail into the coffin with another field goal to put them up by three touchdowns.

Chiefs 30, Broncos 9.

More disaster struck as Drew Lock suffered another injury on a very awkward slide that broke the brace on his left knee when he was sliding. He was okay as the brace is what broke on the slide.

Lock would miss one play where Gordon would run for a first down and the Chiefs would commit a 15-yard personal foul to push the ball across midfield. The quarter would end with the Broncos facing a third and four from the Chiefs 4-yard line.