Tonight was supposed to be a measuring stick for the Denver Broncos. A chance to see whether the Broncos’ record lined up with reality, or whether they were just riding a soft stretch of the schedule. A 22–19 win over the Chiefs, and a night spent dragging Patrick Mahomes out of rhythm, gave us the answer. And afterward, Sean Payton didn’t hide the blueprint.

“Changing the looks with respect to Patrick. Man, he’s something. Trying to keep him in the pocket eliminates some of the (threat), but rushing in the right way, playing coverage in the right way, it’s tough,” Payton said.

That’s coach-speak for what Denver actually did: they contained him. They leaned on a pass rush that came into the night with the highest sacks in the league, and even though they finished this one with “only” thr

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