The Broncos weren’t able to pull off the upset loss against the defending world champions and the presumptive best team in the league, but they went into Arrowhead Stadium and showed that they are a force to be reckoned with in this division moving forward.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the players who were superstars for the Broncos in this game, as well as, a fan-favorite that came up short.

Stock Up

Shelby Harris

The Broncos sorely missed Shelby Harris over the past few weeks as he battled coronavirus, and the moment he re-entered the lineup tonight, he reminded everyone just how important he is to their defense.

On each of the Chiefs’ first two drives that reached scoring position, Harris deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage on third down which forced the Chiefs to settle for a field goal. Then on the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half — which entered Denver’s redzone –, Mahomes looked to scramble on third down and would’ve been able to pick up a first down if not for Harris stretching out his arm and dragging him down for the sack.

You could easily argue those three plays by Harris took 12 points off the board for Kansas City, and it is absolutely insane for a defensive lineman to gave that much of an impact on a game.

Tim Patrick

The Broncos’ talented supporting cast should be intact for a little while, but one piece that could leave is Tim Patrick. However, each and every week he makes a compelling argument for a long-term deal.

This week he came up with both of Denver’s touchdowns, one of which was remarkable, toe-tapping drag in the corner of the endzone.

Patrick may be the least flashy weapon in Denver’s receiving core, but he’s incredibly consistent and reliable, which is just what Lock needs right now.

Melvin Gordon

Last time these two teams played, Melvin Gordon crushed the Broncos’ offense, most memorably with a pitch on a flea-flicker he sailed over Drew Lock’s head.

This time, was a different story.

Gordon gashed the Chiefs on the ground Sunday night, to the tune of 131 yards on 15 carries (8.7 yards per carry) and also added 11 yards through the air. His 37-yard gash through the Kansas City defense was one of Denver’s plays of the games.

Not only did that effort help Denver move the ball down the field, but it opened up the play-action game for Lock (which drastically improves his analytical ranks among the league’s starters) and opened larger windows for him to exploit.

Drew Lock

Drew Lock didn’t play like a superstar against the Chiefs, but he didn’t have to in order to improve his stock.

In his first two matchups with Kansas City, Lock looked like he didn’t even belong on the same field with Mahomes. He was embarrassed and looked like nothing more than a tomato can Mahomes could pick up two wins a year on.

That perception changed in front of a primetime, national audience as Lock went toe to toe with Mahomes and the Chiefs and kept the Broncos in the game.

It wasn’t the best performance of his career, but it might’ve been the performance of his that provided the most hope for the future.

Stock Down

Phillip Lindsay

Phillip Lindsay was the Broncos’ engine before leaving the game with a concussion when the Chiefs visited the Mile High City earlier this year, but tonight he was a complete non-factor.

He was repeatedly stuffed by a Kansas City front that is fine against the run, but is far from being special, as Gordon made clear. The biggest of those stuffs came on a 2nd-and-4 on Denver’s second-to-last drive of the game. K.J. Hamler dropped a pass on the very next play to force the Denver punt but had Gordon been in on that second-down run instead, that third-down drop might’ve never even happened.

That idea of, “What if Gordon was in the game instead of Lindsay?” Hasn’t been a though all season long until tonight.