Week 4 of the 2018 NFL Season concluded on Monday Night Football when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos 27-23 in a crucial AFC West showdown. The Chiefs moved to 4-0 atop the division while Denver fell to 2-2 on the season.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 304 yards and one touchdown. Travis Kelce led Kansas City in receiving hauling in seven passes for 78 yards and one touchdown. Denver's Case Keenum completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 245 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception.

Rookie running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman combined for 20 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Next up for Kansas City are the Jacksonville Jaguars and their stout defense while Denver will play at the New York Jets in Week 5.

Teams trade field goals in the first quarter

Denver opened the game with a seven play, 51-yard drive culminating a Brandon McManus 42-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead. Kansas City's porous defense was gashed on big runs by Royce Freeman for 18 yards and rookie phenom Phillip Lindsay for 17 yards during the drive.

Kansas City responded with a ten play, 60-yard drive with Harrison Butker nailing a 33-yard field goal to tie the score at three.

The Chiefs gambled on fourth and one from their own 34-yard line with running back Kareem Hunt picking up the crucial first down deep in his own territory.

Kansas City strikes in the second quarter

Keyed by a 36-yard run by Kareem Hunt, Patrick Mahomes finished the 11-play, 81-yard drive with an eight-yard scramble and touchdown giving the Chiefs a 10-3 lead with 9:33 remaining until halftime.

Denver would answer with a five play, 78-yard touchdown drive of their own with quarterback Case Keenum finding rookie receiver Courtland Sutton for a 42-yard gain before rookie running back Royce Freeman powered in a 14-yard touchdown run to tie the score at ten with 6:37 remaining until halftime.

Brandon McManus would add a 34-yard field goal, his second of the game, capping a 12-play, 60-yard drive giving Denver the 13-10 lead at halftime.

Chiefs start the third quarter strong

Kansas City's opening drive of the third quarter consumed nearly six minutes covering 72 yards, but they had to settle for a field goal tying the score at 13. The ensuing play for Denver resulted in an interception as Eric Murray wrestled the ball away from Denver tight end Jeff Heuerman setting the Chiefs up at the Denver 43 yard line.

Denver's defense held, forcing a Chiefs punt as they were aided by the home crowd noise forcing a false start penalty. Denver immediately responded with an eight play, 79-yard touchdown drive capped by a Phillip Lindsay one-yard touchdown run giving the Broncos a 20-13 lead with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter.

Denver extends the lead in the fourth quarter

The Broncos opened the fourth quarter with a six play, 48-yard drive where Brandon McManus kicked his third field goal of the night, this time good from 46 yards to extend Denver's lead to 23-13 with 12:47 remaining in the game. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum's 32-yard pass to fullback Andy Janovich, was the key play on the scoring drive.

Kansas City responded with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive with quarterback Patrick Mahomes finding tight end Travis Kelce for a two-yard touchdown, cutting Denver's lead to three with 6:27 remaining in the game. The Chiefs again went for it on fourth down and one in their own territory with Mahomes finding running back Kareem Hunt for a 22-yard gain and extending the drive.

Chiefs dominate the final four minutes

Kansas City received the ball with 4:35 remaining in the game and engineered an eight-play, 60-yard scoring drive with Kareem Hunt scoring on a four-yard touchdown run to give Kansas City a 27-23 lead with 1:40 remaining.

Mahomes was brilliant on a third and five, throwing the ball left-handed to receiver Tyreek Hill for a six-yard gain to extend the drive. Hunt was brilliant on the night, totaling 175 yards from scrimmage with one touchdown.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED