The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Denver Broncos, 20-13, on Thursday, despite the valiant efforts of several young, inexperienced players over three phases.
Here are some quick notes of the loss.
1. Tight end Travis Kelce continues to climb the NFL record books.
Kelce caught five passes for 36 yards on Thursday, moving him past Anquan Boldin for the ninth most receptions (1,077) of any player in NFL history. Kelce needs just two catches Sunday to pass Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens (1,078) for sole possession of eighth place on the list.
Aside from Owens, only Jerry Rice (1,549), Larry Fitzgerald (1,432), Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Marvin Harrison (1,102), Cris Carter (1,101) and Tim Brown (1,094) have more career receptions than Kelce.
2. Quarterback Chris Oladokun gave the Chiefs a chance to win in his first career start.
A member of the Chiefs’ practice squad since 2022, Oladokun made the first start of his career on Thursday, and despite facing one of the best defenses in the league, he managed to keep Kansas City in the game throughout the entire game.
Oladokun completed 13 of 22 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown Thursday, finding defender Brashard Smith for a 5-yard score early in the second quarter. The overall numbers weren’t eye-popping, but that was mostly due to the fact that Kansas City only had seven true possessions in the game. In those, Oladokun got the Chiefs into Broncos territory four times, leading Kansas City to points in three of them.
All things considered, it was an admirable performance from Oladokun that gave Chiefs a chance to win.
