How Vance Joseph’s Defense Frustrated Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs escaped with a win, but Denver's defensive scheme provided the rest of the NFL with a blueprint to slow down Patrick Mahomes.
How Vance Joseph’s Defense Rattled Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs walked off the field with a 16-14 victory over the Denver Broncos on November 10, 2024, but the vibe inside Arrowhead Stadium was anything but celebratory. It took a desperation block of a field goal by linebacker Leo Chenal as time expired to keep Kansas City’s perfect season alive. For the preceding four quarters, the real story was how Denver’s defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, cooked up a scheme that completely took the teeth out of the league’s most dangerous offense.
Coaches have spent years trying to figure out Patrick Mahomes. Most leave the field with a headache. Yet, on this particular Sunday, the Broncos made the multi-time MVP look surprisingly ordinary. Mahomes finished the day with 28 completions on 42 attempts for just 196 yards. He averaged a tiny 4.7 yards per attempt, took four sacks, and spent half his afternoon sprinting away from pressure or throwing safety-valve checkdowns.
It was an absolute defensive masterclass. By blending disguised coverages, simulated pressures, and physical boundary play, Denver built a defensive blueprint that the rest of the league will be copying for the rest of the season.
The Art of the Simulated Pressure
To throw Mahomes off his game, you have to get pressure without blitzing him. If you send extra rushers, Mahomes usually spots the open man instantly and tears you apart. Joseph solved this by leaning heavily on simulated pressures.
Time and again, Denver would walk six or seven defenders up to the line before the snap. This forced the Chiefs’ offensive line into frantic, late adjustments. But when the ball was snapped, only four defenders rushed. The others dropped back quickly into the short and intermediate passing lanes, right where Mahomes expected his quick outlets to be.
This mental game kept Chiefs tackles Wanya Morris and Jawaan Taylor completely off-balance. Denver’s front four won their individual battles all afternoon. Defensive tackle Zach Allen pushed the pocket from the inside, while edge rushers Nik Bonitto and Jonah Elliss squeezed from the boundaries. The four sacks Denver compiled weren’t just about physical power; they were coverage sacks born from Mahomes holding the ball because his targets were blanketed.
Locking Down the Deep Third
For a decade, the Chiefs have lived on explosive, game-changing plays. Joseph made sure none of that happened. The Broncos stayed in deep, two-high safety looks, keeping Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke deep to prevent anything from getting behind them.
This strategy put a ceiling on the entire Kansas City passing game. Rookie speedster Xavier Worthy was non-existent down the field, unable to find any green grass. Without the deep ball, Mahomes had to play a slow, tedious game. He was forced to feed running back Kareem Hunt on short checkdowns or throw quick screens that Denver’s fast linebackers, led by Cody Barton, diagnosed and blew up immediately.
The real magic was in the post-snap movement. Denver often showed a two-high look before the snap, only to rotate into a single-high man-coverage the moment Mahomes started his dropback. That tiny fraction of a second where Mahomes had to process the change was all the pass rush needed to close the gap.
Slowing Down Travis Kelce
You cannot stop the Chiefs without a plan for Travis Kelce. While the superstar tight end did grab a touchdown, his overall impact was kept to a minimum. Denver used bracket coverage to disrupt his day, frequently jamming him at the line with a linebacker before passing him off to a safety over the top.
On the perimeter, cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Ja’Quan McMillian brought a level of physical play that rattled the Chiefs’ young receivers. Surtain shut down his side of the field entirely, allowing Joseph to commit extra defenders to help inside. When Mahomes did try to force throws into tight coverage, the Broncos’ secondary contested every single catch. That physical style wore down the Chiefs’ receivers, leading to dropped passes and sloppy route-running in the second half.
A Clear Blueprint for the AFC
The history books will record this as a win for Kansas City, but the game film tells a much different story. The Broncos proved that you do not need a roster of superstars to make the Chiefs look mortal. You need discipline, a creative play-caller, and a front four that can win without blitz help.
Denver showed that if you take away Mahomes’ deep shots, bracket Kelce, and confuse the protection with simulated pressures, you can turn a legendary offense into a sluggish, frustrating unit. As the postseason approaches, other AFC contenders are going to study this tape very closely. The Chiefs may still be undefeated, but Denver just showed everyone how to make them sweat.
