Emmett Johnson Shines in Chiefs' 28-24 loss to Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs left Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night with a 28-24 defeat to the Denver Broncos, their second loss of the 2026 season, and the box score reads like a tale of one rookie doing everything humanly possible while the rest of the roster struggled to solve problems that have haunted them since Week 1. Arrowhead Pride reported that Emmett Johnson had the best individual game for Kansas City, catching five passes for 128 yards and a 73-yard touchdown—despite repeated defensive misplays in the flat and a questionable third-down play call by head coach Andy Reid that might have altered the game’s result.

With zero pass rush and poor flat coverage against a quarterback they’ve now faced five times, Kansas City’s defense struggled against Denver.

Patrick Mahomes wants Chiefs to find more ways to use Emmett Johnson

Johnson Lights Up the Secondary

Johnson was the only Chief on the field who looked truly unstoppable. His 73-yard receiving touchdown came on a perfectly designed wheel route against Denver’s aggressive third-down blitz package. The Broncos routinely send their nickel corner on a blitz, expecting Johnson to stay in protection to pick up the rush, but Reid and his staff schemed him to leak across the formation instead. When the defensive end failed to drop into coverage as he should have, Johnson turned on the jets and left the defender in the dust for an easy score.

On his lone carry, a 15-yard gain, Johnson made a defensive end miss in the hole after right tackle Jaylon Moore whiffed on his block, juked a linebacker inside, spun out of a safety’s arm tackle with a deceleration move, and still managed to gain positive yardage. This kind of agility and balance in the hole was exactly what evaluators loved about Johnson coming out of Nebraska, and it translates directly to the NFL level.

Emmett Johnson Was Mic'd Up For His First NFL Touchdown

Andy Reid wanted to get Denver’s linebackers in space, and Johnson executed on those plays. The Broncos were in Quarters coverage against the 2×2 formation, with the boundary cornerback occupied by Travis Kelce running a 12-yard in route and unable to turn back to the flat quickly enough. Rashee Rice ran an underneath route to occupy the backside linebacker, leaving the other linebacker responsible for covering Johnson in the flat because the coverage was flooded. Johnson now sits at 237 receiving yards on the season and has been terrific on third downs, providing a crucial safety valve for Patrick Mahomes when the offensive line struggles in protection. There’s a growing debate about whether Johnson should get more carries to spell Kenneth Walker and keep the lead back fresher for explosive plays, but that would mean taking Walker off the field, and Walker still has the higher big-play potential.

Reid’s Third-Down Call Raises Eyebrows

With the game hanging in the balance before a missed field goal attempt, Reid called a third-and-2 play from 12 personnel that featured a half rollout for Mahomes. Kelce ran a corner clearout route while Jalen Royals and Xavier Worthy were tasked with winning on whip routes against man coverage. The problem? Neither Royals nor Worthy’s shown the ability to beat man coverage this season, leaving Mahomes with no viable option and forcing him to throw the ball away rather than risk a sack or turnover.

Emmett johnson kansas city chiefs broncos

The design choice baffled observers who wondered why Reid would have Kelce run the clearout route instead of using him or Rice on an underneath route. With two shaky tackles and a backup left guard against a great Denver pass rush, and only one NFL wide receiver in Rice against Denver’s top-tier cornerbacks, the Chiefs had limited options. Worthy in particular has struggled to contribute meaningfully, and while the passing game was a huge improvement over Week 1 when it was terrible, the play design on that crucial third down still didn’t make sense.

The Flats Remain a Burning Problem

The Chiefs once again generated zero pass rush against Bo Nix, who completed several downfield throws, but the real damage came in the flat where Denver’s offense thrives. Nix is either a vertical or flat thrower who doesn’t do anything else, and Kansas City’s defense didn’t seem to have an answer for the fifth time they’ve faced him this season.

Emmett Johnson’s Breakout Changes EVERYTHING for KC

The breakdowns started on the first drive with Alohi Gilman late to close on a running back screen and later getting called for pass interference while trying to cover Jonah Coleman in the flat. On a switch release to Waddle for a touchdown, Chris Rolland-Wallace and Nohl Williams botched the switch call, leaving Rolland-Wallace way too late to recover. The pattern repeated on a bootleg where Jadon Canady and Williams both ran the same clearout route, making both too slow to defend the flat. On a 51-yard gain, Nick Bolton got lost after a green-dog blitz left the entire defense out of position behind the play.

The Chiefs will need to improve their flat coverage and protect Mahomes on third downs after struggling with both against Denver.