The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Denver Broncos, 20-13, on Thursday night as Kansas City dropped to 6-10 on the season.

Tied at 13 points apiece with under two minutes remaining in the game, Broncos' quarterback Bo Nix found tailback RJ Harvey for a 1-yard, go-ahead score, and while Kansas City had one final chance to tie the game, its rally came up just short.

"[The] effort was phenomenal tonight," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "We got to play a lot of young guys, which is a positive, and they're following what the veterans are all about and their culture that they've established here. That's a positive that we can take out of this thing."

Indeed, the result took place despite a valiant effort by Kansas City, which was missing numerous impact players but still managed to lead for much of the game. That performance was due in large part to the play of quarterback Chris Oladokun, who completed 13-of-22 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in the first regular-season start of his career on Thursday.

"I'm proud of Chris for going out and jumping in at quarterback on a short week and handling what he needed to handle there," Reid said. "I thought he did a good job at running things and executing when needed."

In fact, on just Kansas City's second series of the game, Oladokun found running back Brashard Smith for a go-ahead, 5-yard score that marked the first touchdown for both Oladokun and Smith in their careers. The drive took place immediately following an interception by linebacker Nick Bolton, who set the Chiefs up with great field position that they didn't waste.

Bolton's interception was part of a defensive effort that forced Denver to settle for a field goal on each of its first two drives into the red zone, and despite being out-gained by a significant margin in terms of yardage, Kansas City carried a one-point lead into halftime.

The Chiefs then added to their advantage when kicker Harrison Butker opened the third quarter with a 53-yard field goal, but Denver – after failing to find the end zone throughout the entirety of the first half – answered with a go-ahead touchdown on its ensuing possession.

Kansas City continued to fight, however, and following a 45-yard punt return by Smith early in the fourth quarter, Butker knotted the score up at 13 points apiece with a 47-yard field goal.

Those turned out to be the Chiefs' final points of the night, but despite the loss, Kansas City turned in a performance that should inspire confidence looking toward the future.

The Chiefs will now wrap up the campaign with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders next weekend.