RM Broncos Icon John Elway Surprises NFL World: Says Chiefs “Truly Deserved the Win” After Controversial Calls Benefiting Denver
Denver, Colorado – November 17, 2025
John Elway has endured boos at Arrowhead Stadium, battled through late-game duels with Derrick Thomas, and worn the label of Kansas City’s greatest rival for decades. But in a moment few in Broncos Country—or Chiefs Kingdom—could have imagined, the Denver legend stepped forward on Monday with a candid admission: the Broncos’ 22–19 victory over Kansas City owed more to officiating fortune than to on-field superiority. According to Elway, three specific calls shifted the game so dramatically that he couldn’t stay silent.
The showdown at Empower Field was tense from start to finish, yet the penalty narrative was hard to ignore. Denver committed 10 infractions for 70 yards, while Kansas City was flagged only twice for 20 yards. Still, the three most pivotal rulings—each in key moments—tilted momentum toward Denver. Even Elway, usually the first to defend the Mile High aura, acknowledged the imbalance: “If those three calls go the other way, Kansas City wins. No question.”
The first major swing came in the second quarter, when Skyy Moore was penalized for an uncommon block-in-the-back during a Broncos punt return. Though the contact technically met the rulebook definition, such calls against a coverage gunner are extremely rare. Instead of starting near midfield, the Chiefs were pushed back to their own 11, setting up a Denver touchdown that reshaped the game’s tempo. Elway didn’t downplay its significance: “You almost never see that called on the coverage team. It handed Denver field position we didn’t earn.”
The next dispute unfolded in the third quarter: a questionable holding call on Quinn Meinerz paired with a missed horse-collar tackle on Isaiah Pacheco. Replay showed Meinerz executing a standard inside-frame block, yet officials deemed it a hold. On the very next sequence, Riley Moss dragged Pacheco down by the collar with no flag. Reviewing the footage left Elway frustrated: “One barely qualifies as a foul, the other is obvious and dangerous. The refs missed both, and the Chiefs took the hit.”
The final—and arguably most critical—moment occurred with roughly four minutes remaining. Courtland Sutton caught a curl route and leaned toward the first-down marker. Although Nick Bolton’s hand appeared to reach under Sutton’s knee before the ball crossed the line, the virtual spot still awarded Denver a conversion by mere millimeters. That drive ended with Will Lutz drilling a 54-yard field goal, and Kansas City never regained possession. Elway was blunt: “That spot changed the outcome. If it’s ruled short, Denver punts and the Chiefs win.”
Across these three calls, the hidden yardage swing was striking. Denver benefited by more than 40 net yards, while Kansas City lost out on a potential red-zone stop, a midfield possession shift, and a game-saving defensive stand. Despite Patrick Mahomes throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns and the Chiefs containing Bo Nix for most of the night, the officiating overshadowed their performance. Elway argued that the league must address such inconsistencies.
Ultimately, his message was straightforward: Denver claimed the victory, but Kansas City had reason to feel robbed. “We’ll take the win,” Elway said, “but it wasn’t what the scoreboard suggests. The Chiefs played well enough to win, and the officiating didn’t give them a fair chance.”
When the most iconic figure in Broncos history openly states the Chiefs should have walked out of Denver with the win, the discussion moves beyond fan frustration and becomes a league-wide concern—a reminder that close games deserve officiating that doesn’t overshadow the action on the field.
