Chiefs lose in the most Chiefs way imaginable

Shortly after the clock expired on the Kansas City Chiefs’ latest loss to the Denver Broncos in astounding fashion, whoever runs the Twitter handle for WHB 810 posed this question to heartbroken fans:

Was this loss more painful than the loss to the Colts in the playoffs?

— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) September 18, 2015

Well, which one?

The time in 1996 when the Chiefs finished with a 13-3 regular season record and seemed destined for a long-awaited Super Bowl appearance, but lost at home to the Indianapolis Colts thanks to three missed field goals by kicker Lin Elliott?

Or was it in 2014 when the Chiefs had the Colts in a 38-10 halftime chokehold, only to then lose 45-44 in the wild-card round?

We’d venture to guess both losses to the Colts were the most painful, if only because they occurred in the playoffs.

But last night’s loss to the Broncos still stings. The Chiefs looked to have things going their way as they marched toward the end zone with the game deadlocked at 17 apiece late in the fourth quarter. Knile Davis lumbered 8 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown with 2:27 left on the clock.

With the Chiefs playing stout defense against both a struggling Broncos offense led by a Peyton Manning, who is clearly showing his age, it looked on the surface like the Chiefs would end their string of six straight losses against their division rivals.

But the nagging question remained: Did they leave too much time left on the clock?

As is often the case when it comes to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s clock-management strategies, the fans’ worst fears would be confirmed.

Unleashed into a hurry-up offense carried out in the shotgun formation, Manning suddenly seemed to come to life. He led the Broncos on an 80-yard touchdown drive that ended when Emmanuel Sanders corraled a 19-yard pass to level the score. 

The Chiefs got the ball back with 36 seconds left on the clock. Perhaps they would try to launch one long pass to see if they could get within striking distance of a scoring opportunity. 

Nope. They decided to run the ball from their own 20-yard line.

The Chiefs handed the ball to all-pro running back Jamaal Charles, who seemed like he’d most likely scrounge up a few yards before burning off the rest of the clock and sending the game into overtime.

Pick up a few yards, he did; send the game into overtime, he didn’t. Charles coughed up the ball for the second time in the game. The tumbling pigskin fell into the hands of Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby, who scampered 21 yards unencumbered for the Broncos’ second touchdown in nine seconds.

And the rest was history — a painful footnote in Chiefs history.