The public at large was on the Broncos to cover the 10.5-point spread against the Chiefs with 56% of bets and 63% of the money backing Denver.
If you told them before kickoff that the Chiefs would muster just a single touchdown, they’d probably already be counting their money. (It was the first time since October of 2021 that the Chiefs did not score at least two touchdowns in a game.) However, instead of the right arm of Patrick Mahomes, it was the right leg of Harrison Butker that crushed them.
Butker was a perfect 4-for-4 against the Broncos, but it was his final kick of the night that provided the late dagger.
Denver’s offense was held in check for virtually the entire game before Courtland Sutton hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass with 6:11 remaining. It looked like that late touchdown would be enough to cover, especially when Mahomes was sacked for an 11-yard loss on the final play before the two-minute warning. It turned a relative chip shot field goal into a 52-yarder, but Butker was up for the challenge, drilling it straight through the uprights.
It was the second monster kick Butker made on the night as he also drilled a 60-yarder on the final play before halftime. He also converted from 25 and 30 yards out to account for 12 of Kansas City’s 19 points.
Butker was an unlikely hero considering the conditions he kicked in. It was a windy night in Arrowhead with gusts around 17 and 22 mph most of the night. The weather report caused the over/under to drop from 51 to 47 prior to kickoff, and the total didn’t come close to that number.
