In a game with major consequences for the AFC West and the conference as a whole, the Denver Broncos hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in a barnburner. As the two rivals went at each other’s throats, the game came down to the final play.

However, Patrick Mahomes got sacked on the fourth-down attempt as the clock wound down, condemning the Chiefs to a 28-24 loss in Mile High City.

For a three-time Super Bowl champion, those mistakes were the story of the game.

Mark Schlereth Highlights Patrick Mahomes’ Shortcomings in Week 8

Returning from a torn ACL, it hasn’t taken long for Mahomes to establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the sport once again. So far this year, he’s thrown for 1,795 yards and 12 touchdowns, against just four interceptions.

As a result, he’s ranked at number 9 in PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metric. But the game against the Broncos was individually vital for Mahomes as well, as he was coming off one of the worst games of his career against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.

Mahomes responded with 321 passing yards and three touchdowns, although Kansas City’s ground game struggled to generate consistent yardage, with Kenneth Walker III averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. Still, Mark Schlereth put the spotlight on the instances where he came up short as game-changing moments.

“Well, he had the sack that he took, Mahomes did, and then, you know, in that last fourth-down-and-six play where he didn’t even get the ball out, give somebody a chance. The sack was really shocking to me.”

The sack that the Broncos legend was speaking about came earlier in the fourth quarter, when Mahomes took a sack from 3rd-and-2 that made a potential field goal attempt that much more difficult.

Ultimately, Harrison Butker, who has struggled all season long, failed to come up with the goods, and that was when things flipped for the Broncos, who were able to march down the field. But for Schlereth, the mistakes weren’t limited exclusively to the quarterback.

“There were some I thought were questionable coaching decisions. A 55-yard field goal with a field goal kicker who was struggling. It was raining out. I thought, ‘Hey, punt it back.'”

Butker’s attempt was officially recorded as a 54-yarder, which he missed wide right with 2:36 remaining.

That was the beginning of the end for the Chiefs, as they weren’t able to recover from there.

A false-start penalty against right tackle Jaylon Moore on fourth-and-goal negated what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown pass from Mahomes to Rashee Rice.

Ultimately, though, in a must-win spot, they came up short in a myriad of ways. With the Broncos now in control of the division, the Chiefs will look to snap this two-game losing skid when they host the 2-6 New York Jets in Week 9 at Arrowhead Stadium.