The winner followed a risky move by Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who sent his kicker out for a 62-yard try with 1:01 left only to see Brandon McManus — who has hit from 70 yards in training camp — come up short. McManus practically begged to get a crack at the 62-yarder.

“That’s still well within my range. I just kind of hit the ground,” he said. “From that distance, everything kind of needs to be perfect just because of how far you are away. It didn’t happen for me.”

Instead of having to go 80 yards or more, however, the Chiefs got the ball at the Denver 48 with one timeout and just over a minute remaining. The Chiefs reached the Denver 16 before Santos ended the snoozer-turned-thriller in perfect fashion. Even his teammates hesitated as they ran out to celebrate, unsure if the ball had clanked through or not with the stadium rocking as if it hadn’t.

The Chiefs (8-3) kept up with the Oakland Raiders (9-2) in the AFC West race and the Broncos (7-4) could find themselves fighting for a wild card now.

Up next for Kansas City: The Chiefs continue a brutal road swing with a trip to Atlanta next weekend.