Sean Payton and Bo Nix are undefeated at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, after the Denver Broncos stormed back in the fourth quarter to vanquish their rival and avenge their Week 1 loss. 

The Broncos were down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, but once again, they were able to conjure some Mile High Magic and prevail 28-24. 

The 6-2 Broncos now take the lead in the AFC West, and their schedule opens up for the next several weeks. The Chiefs still have a couple of not-so-tough games coming out of Week 8, but then they’ll face the worst of their schedule. 

The Broncos are poised to run away with the division and repeat as AFC West champions, if they can keep the pedal to the metal from here on out. There’s still a lot of football left to be played this season. 

As we romp through the aftermath of this huge divisional victory, let’s break down the Broncos’ biggest winners and losers. 

Winner: Bo Nix | QB

Once again, Nix didn’t play all that well through the first three quarters, but as is his way, he turned it on when it mattered most and came through with some big plays when the chips were down.

Nix fed his playmakers in the fourth quarter, and the Broncos galvanized around him, with several players contributing to this team’s fourth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Fans can get frustrated with the conservative play and relative inconsistencies, but Nix has now won 20 of his last 23 games. 

Does it matter how the sausage gets made, so long as it does? After Nix took some big steps forward last week against the Arizona Cardinals, he played with much-improved confidence against the Chiefs — rising to the occasion given the stakes — and delivered another signature win. 

Nix finished 20-of-32 for 222 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also converted a two-point attempt with his arm, connecting with Jaylen Waddle, and rushed three times, though it was for just four yards. 

Now that the Broncos are truly through the worst of their hellish first-half-of-the-season gauntlet, look for Nix to take his game to the next level. It’s time to start padding the stats along with the wins in the standings. 

Comeback complete for Bo Nix and the @Broncos pic.twitter.com/C0Vc6UtMtW

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026

Winner: Jonah Coleman | RB

After returning last week from injured reserve to ignite the Broncos’ ground attack, Coleman once again served as this offense’s spark plug. He didn’t have the most efficient day rushing against the Chiefs’ tough front seven, toting it nine times for 41 yards, but like his quarterback, the rookie saved his best play for when it mattered most. 

In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs failed to extend their lead to six points with 2:36 left in the game when Harrison Butker missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt. On the ensuing play, Nix hit Coleman underneath, and the rookie turned on the jets, rumbling 51 yards to the Chiefs’ 5-yard line.

JONAH COLEMAN DOWN TO THE 4

KCvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/nRd1e0xIhC

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026

Coleman punched it on the next play for the Broncos’ go-ahead touchdown. The rookie just gives the Broncos’ offense an element that J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey haven’t been able to provide. 

Coleman’s burst is palpable, as are his want-to and intensity. Coach Payton is going to continue riding the hot hand. 

Now, it wasn’t all great, as Coleman did get stuffed several times on the goal line on two different possessions that forced the Broncos to go for it on 4th-&-Goal, but they were the collective plays of the offense and the line, and Nix punched it in with his arm both times. 

With the NFL trade deadline coming up on November 10, the Broncos don’t need to make a move for Jonathan Taylor. However, it would be nice to have another weapon in the backfield who can create on his own. 

This was only the third game of Coleman’s career in which he touched the ball, and he’s just gaining a head of steam. For that reason and others, I have my doubts that Denver will make a move.

Loser: J.K. Dobbins | RB

It’s obvious, given what I just wrote and what we all witnessed on Sunday, but Dobbins comes out of this game as a big loser. He said last week that he cares most about winning, but the Broncos signaled a lack of trust in him to make plays and move the chains against the Chiefs. 

Dobbins finished with just seven carries for 13 yards, and although he was already being usurped by Coleman before it happened, we didn’t see the veteran much after his brutal eight-yard loss in the second quarter, where he ran backward and paid the price. That cost the Broncos, killing a drive. 

With RJ Harvey out on injured reserve for at least the next three games, the Broncos are going to need Dobbins for their running back committee, but Coleman is clearly the guy Payton and company are now counting on to spark the offense. Dobbins simply hasn’t looked the same since returning from his season-ending foot injury last year. 

So long as Dobbins can keep his cool and not cause problems as his snap and touch share erode in the face of Coleman’s rise, the Broncos could opt to hold onto the valuable draft capital required to land the likes of Taylor, even though they’ve been linked to him in the rumor mill. I’ll put it this way: I’ll believe a Taylor-to-Denver trade when I see it. 

Winner: Patrick Surtain II | CB

Surtain returned to the field for the first time since Week 4, and boy was it good to see him out there. He finished with eight tackles (seven solo), tied for the second-most on the team, and he defended four passes, allowing three completions for just 20 yards.

Surtain saved a touchdown with an absolutely beautiful diving pass break-up. It would have been nice to see him come away with the near-interception he was close to nabbing, but given that he hasn’t played football for a month, it was a strong return performance. 

Outside of a couple of explosive completions to running back Emmett Johnson out of the backfield, the Chiefs’ passing offense was lackluster. Take away Johnson’s 119 receiving yards on three catches, and Patric Mahomes would have passed for just 193 yards. 

Loser: Evan Engram | TE

I don’t know what it is or why, but Engram can’t seem to get on the same page with Nix. The veteran tight end was targeted three times on Sunday, but he was held without a catch. 

Engram has kept a strong attitude, focused on all the winning he’s done since joining the Broncos last year, but he’s certainly disappointed with his lack of statistical production. The Broncos have involved him much more in the run game as a blocker, so he’s making his contributions, but the receiving stats aren’t there. 

Usually, they’re not there for any other tight end, but against the Chiefs, Nix connected with Adam Trautman for a big 22-yard gain and Nate Adkins for a one-yard touchdown. That’s got to be tough for Engram, but hey, the Broncos won the game, and if he wants it to change, he’s got to step his game up. 

Winner: Jaylen Waddle | WR

Waddle played this game hurt. He’s dealt with a chest injury for several weeks and aggravated it last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, but he was a trooper and dressed against the Chiefs. 

Waddle was Nix’s most-targeted receiver once again, earning six. He caught three of them for 39 yards and a touchdown, the bulk of which came on a big 35-yard strike over the middle. 

Bo Nix scrambles and finds Jaylen Waddle for 35 yards!

KCvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/twsyio2RAC

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Nix missed a wide-open Waddle in the third quarter, throwing the ball in the dirt at his feet, just a bit short. But Waddle saw plenty of action, scored a touchdown, and caught a two-point conversion. 

Props to the veteran wideout for battling through a painful chest injury to help the Broncos knock the Chiefs down a peg or two and take the divisional lead.