Three numbers that mattered in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-24 win vs. Denver Broncos

Here are three numbers that helped determine the result (and kept it close) in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-24 home win against the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

24

The Broncos’ offense continued a trend of going way above offensive expectations when playing against the Chiefs.

Denver scored 24 points against KC on Sunday, which tied for the second-highest total of the season. The Broncos’ best mark? That was their 28 points against the same Chiefs in their home loss Week 14.

9.8

The Chiefs — as 12 1/2-point favorites — was likely going to have to make a few costly mistakes for Denver to hang close.

Sure enough, the Chiefs complied in the first half, as Patrick Mahomes threw a red-zone interception and punt returner Kadarius Toney lost a fumble.

The two plays lost the Chiefs 9.8 expected points, according to the advanced stats at rbsdm.com, with Toney’s ending up as the most costly of the game for KC at negative-5.2.

1.7

Like most games, KC dominated the area that typically matters among the most of all — advantage in yards per play.

The Chiefs had 6.4 yards per play compared to the Broncos’ 4.7, for a difference of 1.7. That efficiency superiority turned out to be enough to help KC make up for other big-play gaffes.